As the 2019 season edges closer, we see some interesting predictions and concerns with the changes applied to the aerodynamics of the cars. As some of you would know, the front and back wing among other parts have been redesigned completely as the sports gears to become more entertaining, which of course means more overtakes and racing action.
Well, these regulations could have a major effect on leading teams, including Red Bull, Ferrari and even Mercedes. Of course, if these teams suffer just a little more than others with these changes, it could have catastrophic shifts in the predictions and what we expect to see.
We know Lewis is aiming to get one championship closer to Michael Schumacher’s 7-title world record. If he manages yet another championship win in 2019, it would mean he is only one title behind. At the same time, we see the Mercedes team also pushing forward for the next title as they would finally match the record of 6 titles that Ferrari holds at the moment.
It is really impressive that the Mercedes team managed to claim five titles in a row, even with the major adjustments that came in around 2017. However, according to multiple predictions, F1 professionals and Budkowski, this might just be the season where we see Mercedes, and other leading teams crumble under the pressure.
The Loss of Downforce has a Bigger Effect on Leading Teams
All the teams are finding it difficult to adapt to the major loss of downforce at the front, and rear wing have been redesigned to provide a cleaner wake, which ultimately introduces more opportunities for overtaking across the entire field.
Budkowski says the loss has been drastic, which has a serious effect on their performance, but it could be even worse for the leading teams as their success comes from development and fine tuning over the years. With these major changes, the teams might not get that perfect tune as fast as they’d like.
As the same time, they might just be able to recover faster, thanks to the resources, but it might take more than just a few quick changes, especially as they move around the world to compete at different tracks.
We might just see the best behind the leading teams (Renault) come up with the ideal tune, which just gives them that edge to make a difference in the field. At the same time, we might just see Lewis and his Mercedes fall behind as he might not have the optimal configuration for each track as he did in most races in 2018.
Who says we don’t see Ferrari finally catching up with Hamilton and take the 6th title away from him? The fact is, with these downforce changes not only do we see a major loss of performance with the biggest teams, but the competition is set to be entertaining all by itself, especially if Ferrari manages to get themselves up and going.