Rana

Had a few questions about Turn 12 in 2026, and to illustrate it further here is a video of Rosberg’s 2014 pole through the same corner. We see a very similar trait in the W05 through Turn 12, where Rosberg stops accelerating (briefly) and starts to clip at 251kph towards the apex whilst on full throttle. Mind you, this is in Q3, peak track conditions, no fuel in the car and maximum deployment. What we see from Antonelli is a slightly more extreme version of this - clipping at 241kph. It also must be said, Antonelli’s lap was during testing, not full qualifying mode, 40 degree track temperature and a bit of fuel in the car. Come Q3, the 2026 car will exhibit very similar traits to the 14-16 cars and as the engines get more developed over time, it will be a non-issue. Not to mention, the 2026 cars have slightly more downforce than the 14-16 cars and are faster on the straights. So they are still net improvement in my opinion. To bring up Allison’s point once more - the experienced drivers such as Alonso, Hamilton and Verstappen have had their muscle memory of the old era of cars completely wiped out. They do not remember that this was perfectly normal pre-2017. Alonso complaining that he can no longer take Turn 12 at 280kph is extremely baffling - as this has never been the norm.

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