F1 2010 Malaysian GP

[Imhotep Evil]

The ride-height system wouldn't be taking the cars anywhere they haven't been before. What it will do is simply bring lower the cars during qualification to the same level that the cars are at when the race starts. It will have no implications on aero dynamic parts of the car unlike the double diffusers which had to have air channeled to it.

10-30mm lower ride height might not sound like much but in F1 small changes can make a huge difference. Every tenth you can squeeze out of the car contributes to a better grid position and now when victory is worth 25 points, everything is worth copying.

Overall the RB6 is currently the best package but it is not the fastest car. Both this weekend and last week the MP-25 has more than matched the Red Bull during the races themselves, and Massa has been able to comfortably close 9 seconds gaps. Check the time sheets, Hamilton and Massa were matching and surpassing the sector times of Vettel with ease. The benefit Vettel and Webber have out in front is clean air so they are cruising nicely while the mid-field is an elbo fight.

But the Mclaren has astonishing grip in the corner and blistering speed on the straights for overtaking. The only weakness is qualifying pace, and once the team and Ferrari have sorted that out -- Red Bull will no longer be the team to beat, and Webber's championship hopes will diminish.

I disagree, the RB6 is it is the fastest car around but not the best package as it lacks reliability. Webber said they won without even pushing.

And McLaren/Hamilton was actually losing to a Force India in the later stages.
Whatever performance the rest might have, it is quite inconsistent not full race.

 

[Imhotep Evil]

Please, before making such statements, do a little bit of background research. The ride height is the most important aerodynamic adjustment you can have. As you lower the ride height, the velocity of the air passing under the car increases, thus increasing the down force generated by the front wing and the rear diffuser. Another benefit of running a lower ride height is that the lift/drag ratio of the wings will improve. I quote from James Allen's blog "1 mm of ride height you move is worth 5 kilos of downforce, which in turn is worth 0.05 seconds per lap" and if I can remember correctly, Sam Michael said a 1mm ride height reduction can reduce the lap time by as much as 0.25 sec when all things are considered.

The Redbulls aren't showing these kind of speed advantage because their Renault engine is the least powerful unit on the entire grid, but with this ride height adjustment system, and their economical fuel consumption, they just manage to stay ahead of the pack.

Precisely, and during the active suspension era Senna mentioned that 1 mm equals 0.5 seconds per lap.

If Red Bull can control their height similar to the active suspension era it means the rest rest of the field will lose anywhere between 0.05 to 0.5 seconds per lap. Even with reduced efficiency vs. AS, it is quite a lot when the laps add up.