From: shaun.at.pukekohe@gmail.com   
      
   On 31/07/2024 6:08 am, pP85PrR wrote:   
   > On 2024-07-30 9:16 AM, ~misfit~ wrote:   
   >> I'm really looking forward to seeing how he does against Albon. I've always   
   thought Albon to be a   
   >> top driver - and I think Sainz is up there too. It'll be interesting, I   
   think Albon will have the   
   >> edge though.   
   >   
   > One reads about drivers having a preference for a car that has   
   over/understeer or some other   
   > drivability trait. Does this give Albon a bit of an edge since he knows how   
   the car drives?   
   > (Assuming that he has persuaded the team to set the car the way he likes.   
   And assuming that the car   
   > can be setup the way he likes.)   
      
   Initially Albon may have the edge but it won't take long for Sainz to dial the   
   car in to how he   
   likes it. They're mostly made to be configurable*.   
      
   * There's been a lot said about how the RBR car is fundamentally built for   
   Max, that other drivers   
   have trouble with it and to a certain extant that may be true (though Max has   
   been complaining   
   about handling a LOT lately). However recently both Horner and Max have being   
   saying this loudly   
   and often in defence of Checo. Max doesn't want another top-tier driver as a   
   team mate, he's   
   happier with a journeyman and Horner will back Max to the hilt.   
      
   > And will the car have the same traits next year?   
      
   Apparently there are big changes coming for Williams so probably not.   
      
   > And finally, does Sainz prefer a different setup compared to Albon?   
      
   With the exception of extremes the car can be configured differently for   
   different driving styles.   
      
   > With me being a non-F1 driver, of course, some will want to point out my   
   ignorance and the error of   
   > my ways with all this.    
      
   Ditto. However there are always /those/ people...   
      
   > It will be something to check out next year, regardless of my knowledge or   
   lack thereof.   
      
   I'm looking forward to it. I've wanted to see Albon in a better car for a   
   couple of years now as I   
   think he's got a lot of potential*. This is about as close as we're going to   
   get for now though.   
      
   * One thing, and this bothers me about Lawson too. If a driver has come up   
   through the ranks,   
   driving new, faster, more challenging cars every year doing really well, if   
   this pattern of   
   upgrading relentlessly is broken they can lose a lot of their ability to   
   constantly up their game.   
   When this happens they often find themselves on the back-foot playing catch-up   
   in a series that   
   doesn't give you a second chance.   
      
   Also (this applies to Albon) if a driver spends too long getting every little   
   bit of performance   
   out of a second-tier car where the car is the limit of performance they can   
   struggle in a top-tier   
   car where their ability to judge the edge is the limit again. They can adapt   
   but, as I said, F1   
   often spits out drivers who don't perform within a few races.   
      
   So much of real top tier driving is psychological (and learned responses too -   
   above). I didn't   
   think Lewis would recover from Mercedes drop in performance as well as his   
   loss of Angela Cullen -   
   I think the two things combined were what drove him to sign with Ferrari.   
   However I think he's got   
   some of his mojo back now. Also Lando's relatively poor performance at Spa I   
   think is down to him   
   not being able to keep the win in the previous race. He took a psych hit   
   realising that the team   
   he's spent so long developing with don't value him as much as he thought they   
   did and don't   
   consider him to be number one.   
   --   
   Shaun.   
      
   "Humans will have advanced a long, long way when religious belief has a cozy   
   little classification   
   in the DSM"   
   David Melville.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)