Bottas sees change due to ban party mode: "Small difference in qualification"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
For Mercedes this weekend will be the first weekend where the team will not be able to use the party mode. This of course applies to the whole grid, but Mercedes is known to have a very strong party mode which they will turn on in the final part of qualifying. However, the drivers of the reigning world champion do not expect any major changes.
“I'm not worried about that. We will lose a little performance in qualifying, but the race speed will increase", Lewis Hamilton explained at the press conference prior to the Italian Grand Prix, where Motorsport-Total.com is present. The Briton expects a better race speed, because the team has to drive in the same position from qualifying.
No worries about change
That is why they cannot go any faster in qualifying, but in the race they will drive a higher engine setting than they normally do, because they no longer make any changes to higher engine settings. "So the drivers will have much less work to do in the cockpit, because you no longer have to sit continuously at the switches to adjust the engine mode.
Valtteri Bottas does not expect any major changes due to the ban. "It will indeed make a small difference in qualifying, but the speed during the race will increase". Hamilton says the ban will also save less fuel. "That was never really a problem for me and perhaps one of my strengths.