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Posts tagged with "weakness"

Mercedes and Schumacher

I've had a fortnight of not really wanting to blog for some reason. I promised mageshmagi this blog entry on Mercedes and Schumacher's underperformances before I went on unintended hiatus.

 

First of all, it was always going to be difficult for Mercedes to match its precedescor's antics. Brawn managed to win the one driver's and constructor's title it entered with considerable aplomb. Nonetheless, it had to do so with an unusual resource distribution. When the car was designed in mid-2008, money was practically falling from the sky, but by the time it hit the track the primary funding source (Honda) had reduced dramatically. It funded the season's running costs (albeit only for a much smaller operation than the one it had been when the team was called Honda), but did not fund  the creation of the 2010 challenger. Therefore the 2010 car was hamstrung by a serious lack of funds.

 

Then Ross Brawn made an intelligent move. By hiring Nico Rosberg, he gained a driver who is intelligent and ready to take a step up from his previous team - the plucky but gracefully-declining Williams. He'd been team leader there for two seasons and proved to be a good team leader for Mercedes.

 

That wasn't the plan. The plan had been for Rosberg to ably back up a seven-time world champion who would break all records and be a legendary touchstone for all at Mercedes - Michael Schumacher. He was duly hired, to the astonishment of most of the F1 community. He said the right things (though I was somewhat worried that how he said them didn't match how he'd said them before) and testing wasn't terrible for him.

 

Just as well it wasn't terrible for him because it was quite clear that the Mercedes W01 had suffered for its lack of development funding.  It wasn't a dominating influence or even on the pace of the likes of Red Bull. This was going to be a tough season. The engine was beautifully fast but the chassis didn't respond well to its tyres. Michael and Nico (along with Felipe Massa at Ferrari) frequently noted that the front tyres did not support their driving styles, which tend to involve quite hard braking.

 

Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, who'd been at Brawn in 2009, both have much gentler braking styles and would have suited the Mercedes W01 better. However, neither of them were options for Mercedes. Jenson wanted a fresh challenge and Rubens had been harbouring a desire to race for Williams for quite a while. Still, without a hard-braking driver to ask for tips during development, it is easy to see why this significant flaw appeared in Mercedes' first car.

 

What is more difficult to understand is why the 2011 car met a similar fate. After all, Felipe's 2011 Ferrari is much more to his liking. There was a major reshuffle in the factory staff towards the end of 2010, which delayed completion of the W02. There was also a decision made to start with a basic car and upgrade it a lot as soon as possible, even though that didn't really work for them in 2010 either. An upgrade can fix many things but not a fundamental weakness in the car.

 

Due to that philosophy, we may see considerable improvement across the season. Upgrades can fix minor problems. Even though the problems with the Mercedes' tendency to consume tyres rapidly do not constitute "minor", things can be done to reduce that flaw and fix less noticeable difficulties such as a lack of downforce compared to Ferrari and Red Bull. The engine's still strong (unsurprising due to engine sorbet regulations) but it's not enough.

 

Michael Schumacher does not seem to have adapted to being in an imperfect car very well. He tends to make more mistakes in that situation than we were accustomed to seeing in his previous time in F1. Hence he tends to hit cars instead of passing them, impairing his performances in an already non-optimised car. He's also started to show tendencies towards crumbling in whichever qualifying session is his last one in a given day. This is the very effect he used to trigger in other people back in 2006. It's the sign of a driver that, for all his determination, diligence and innate skill, has gone from the hunted to the hunter - and vastly preferred being the hunted.

 

If Michael ever wants to see a podium again, let alone a win, he needs to re-assume the mentality of the hunted - the one who leads and is forever trying to escape, willing to experiment to improve but ever holding their nerve while doing so. Perhaps Mercedes may benefit from a little of that too, but mostly it just needs to put more emphasis on getting the car right the first time.

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Say hello to my little friend... ...Meme

Date: November 19 2009

Currently: Reading F1 Racing (October 2009 edition)

Mood: Contemplative !:l

 

Warning! Long entry alert!

 

Nothing I saw in F1 today particularly inspired me, so I'm doing this 100-item meme I spotted in Laraine Creech's Facebook notes.

 

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET It?

I don't think I have got any scars.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?

One wall of wallpaper and three of bright yellow paint*. On the paint, there are nine bookshelves piled high with books, a big poster featuring a map of the Silverstone circuit dating from 2002 and a framed photograph of me and my two best friends from secondary school/sixth form.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOU SLEEP?

I don't snore or grind my teeth, but apparently I'm nearly as talkative during some parts of my sleep cycle as I am when I'm awake. Fortunately few people are in a position to find out first-hand.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?

Pop, rock, metal and selected tunes in other genres.

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?

6:30pm. Apparently I took most of the day to turn up - I wasn't exactly in a rush to make an appearance in the world.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?

To finish this blog entry in an interesting way!

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?

I don't really understand this question...

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)?

Difficult one. Among actual possessions, probably my PDA. But I try not to get too attached to particular items because everything is transient.

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU?

1 metre, 72 centimetres.

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?

Not unless the space is stuffed full of people. If it's stuffed full of inanimate or slow-moving objects (or the space just wasn't very big in the first place), I'm fine because I know where the remaining space will be.

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?

No.

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?

My ex-supervisor, who thought that persistently shouting bad names at someone with sensitive ears was a good idea. Eventually, my ears (and brain) protested too loudly for resisting to work.

13. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR?

I'm not sure.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?

I have absolutely no preference.

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF PROPOSING AT?

I have enough trouble seeing myself proposing in the first place...

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?

If I must have one, energy drink - I dislike the taste of the former and find the latter too sugary-tasting for anything except swimming galas (and even then I usually dilute it).

17. FAVORITE PIZZA TOPPING?

Hawaiian (pineapple and ham).

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?

Ice cream.

19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME?

Blue. It is such an expressive colour...

20. HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?

I've had goldfish in the pond before, but I left the job of eating them to the local heron.

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?

When I was very small (I think I was four, but I might have been three), my great-grandparents gave me a knitted grey rabbit. It meant a lot to me because it was a tangible symbol of their love for me.

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?

No. Never had one.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?

If I am, I don't know about it.

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?

Bon Marché. They seem to be one of the few brands that do clothing that feel practical and fit without looking ugly.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:

26

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES

Either.

32. FAVORITE QUOTE?

"Million-to-one chances occur nine times out of ten" - Terry Pratchett, "Guards! Guards!"

33. FAVORITE PLACE(s)?

My local library (and every other library I've ever visited), Sheffield College, Silverstone

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?

I've never been in the USA in the first place, but I've been to Switzerland, Belgium and France as well as the UK (where I live). The first two for swimming galas and the latter on a school trip.

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?


I am a creature of habit who can be somewhat inflexible, struggle with interpreting the world at times... ...and also is rather messy!

36. MET ANYONE FAMOUS?

Quite a few people. I've had autographs from Eddie Jordan, Matt Neal, David Coulthard, Allan McNish, Martin and Alex Brundle.

37. FIRST JOB?

Assistant librarian in a local-ish library.

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?

Only on Sims 2!

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOULMATE?

No, but I think a significant minority have got a soulmate. The concept exists but some people are equally (or nearly-equally) compatible with multiple people and others aren't really compatible with anyone.

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?

Looking through the F1 news on the internet, re-reading F1 Racing October 2009 in the process.

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?

No. Nearest I've had is having my head glued back together five weeks ago (what a way to fill a Sunday morning...)

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?

My writing.

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?

No.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?

A book (I'm not picky...)

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT AND THEIR NAMES?

I don't know if I want kids at the moment, largely because I wouldn't have a clue how to bring them up if I had any. I have lots of potential names, but as yet no faces to attach them to...

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?

My real middle names were also my mum's and grandma's middle names, but my first name wasn't named for anyone (apart from a religious figure - ironic since my parents aren't religious). My psuedonym's first name is from a book called "Dragonsbane" by Patricia C. Wrede - the character originally bearing that first name was a princess.

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?

I have no idea.

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU LIKE(D) ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL**?

Learning stuff.

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?

Cheap supermarket shampoo, in the "anti-grease" category. "Anti-chlorine" and/or "anti-dandruff" are bonus features. I use a separate conditioner, which is typically the fanciest one in the local pound shop.

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?

I do - it's legible and fairly stylish in cursive format and cute in separated-letter format. Block capitals come out slightly strange, but never mind...

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?

Gammon.

52. ANY BAD HABITS?

Lots - disorganisation being perhaps my worst.

53. JEALOUS PERSON?

No.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?

If I was someone else, being friends with myself would still be an automatic impulse, wouldn't it? Would make for an interesting philosophical question.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?

No. I have the aesthetic sense of a house brick.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?

Depends a lot on the circumstances...

58.WOULD YOU RATHER GAIN 58 POUNDS OR LOSE 58 Pounds?

Lose 58 pounds (but I wouldn't want to lose more than that).

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?

A red stuffed stegasaurus with a yellow tongue slightly sticking out and no eyes called Grinny. It's still my favourite toy.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?

34.

62. WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?

Barney was after my time. I watched lots of Sesame Street as a little kid though.

63. Do you use sarcasm?

Not very often, which catches people out a lot when I do deploy it.

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?

Macaroni and cheese, though mashed potatoes are also nice.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY?

I don't.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?

My psuedonym's nicknames are "Alia" and "Ali". The former is my formal nickname while the latter is preferred by internetters with tired fingers.

67. FAVORITE SUPER POWER?

Telempathy.

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?

Formula 1 :)

69.WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES?

Explain to them the error of their ways, roll the eyes if they don't get it, then vacate the area (unless they're doing something that needs stopping, in which case you stop it).

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?

Strawberry.

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?

I have all the ones I was born with connected to my body at this moment and do not anticipate repositioning any of them in the near future.

72. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM?

The one I'm typing on, and at the moment my PDA (a mobile phone that pretends to be a computer) is in here being charged as well.

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT?

Blogging (wikiing?) and catching up with my internet friends.

74. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE OLDER?

In a cheap house somewhere quiet but well-connected.

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?

Only the people who want to.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?

At this exact moment? Kelly Clarkson - a live version of "Beautiful Disaster".

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?

Orange-and-lemon squash.

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?

Someone from a local JobCentre referring a client to the organisation I'm placed at (which provides assistance to unemployed people),

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?

That they're there (usually).

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

Reading, swimming, various forms of computing and listening to music.

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?

Prejudice.

82. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR?

Autumn. Somehow it seems to be the gentlest season, F1 increases in tempo and lots of new stuff starts in my personal life (for example, it's the start of academic years).

83. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY?

Fairtrade orange-flavoured, spice-infused dark chocolate.

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND?

Yes. Twice. The first one between nursery and sixth form and the second one during my university years.

85. WHAT IS YOUR HAIR COLOR?

Dark brown.

86. EYE COLOR?

The same shade of brown.

87. SHOE SIZE?

Size 7-9, depending on the make.

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?

Subway.

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT?

BB's in Sheffield (the Italian restaurant, not the coffee shop)

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?

I do, and I've eaten it a few times.

91. WATCH TV TODAY?

15 minutes of news, about an hour of music channels, plus most of Golden Balls (it happened to be on when I was visiting Grandma). Unusually high amount for me.

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?

This changes every year. This year it was September 3 (with June 21 and January 10 being a close second and third), last year it was 21 June, the year before it was 12 June...

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?

I play the guitar, keyboard and recorder - none of them particularly well, but I can get a tune out of each of them. I prefer singing though.

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?

If I were American, I'd vote Democrat. As it is, I vote Labour in general elections because my constituency happens to have a brilliant MP right now who deserves support (among other things for not agreeing with his party on certain key topics) and Liberal Democrat otherwise.

95. KISSES OR HUGS?

Neither, unless it's a really unexpected special occasion or you've warned me first. In which case either is fine.

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR ONE NIGHT STANDS?

Relationships. I don't see the point of one night stands.

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?

A packet of fruit Polos on Tuesday from the train station.

98. WOULD YOU EVER BE A HOUSE WIFE?

No. I have absolutely no talent in that direction.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?

That should be a plural. I am reading "Making Time" by Steve Taylor downstairs, F1 Racing (October 2009 edition) and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J. K. Rowling upstairs and "Nightwings" by Robert Silverberg when I'm out. I usually have at least three books on the go simultaneously, due to my bookworm-like nature.

100. DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE?

Easy. I don't have one and don't want one right now.

 

* - Believe it or not, this paint scheme was decided the year before I became a supporter of the extremely yellow-coloured Jordan team.

 

** - Sixth form is the nearest British equivalent to high school.

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