[MulsanneMike]

Originally Posted by chernaudi

Well, why was Peugeot slower than Audi in every session except qualifying, where the Pugs only ran a couple of laps between them?

And Montagny and Davidson reported the same issues in practice that the R18s seemed to have in the race--a lack of grip.

I feel that both cars being new and having so few races between them that they're still learning about the cars. With the cars being so lightweight and having so much intrinsic grip, the feedback that they can provide drivers with must be staggering. Of course, with that come sensitivity to setup/weather changes and the impacts that can have on drivers' perceptions of handling and grip.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was one minor change on the part of either Audi or Peugeot that was the game changer, considering the equvilancy between laptimes, Pagenauld's laps not withstanding, as they were done with a PO'd driver, possibly with soft tires as it was late and Peugeot had nothing to lose on such a gamble.

I'd have to rate the cars as pretty equal right now, but it's gonna depend more than ever on the teams nailing the hot setup and keeping up with the track that'll be the decider here. And there are still more test, which is why Audi and Peugeot ran at Spa--not just for ILMC points, but to find things that can be improved on.

In that area, the big area that Audi needs to improve is getting the rear deck of the cars--the fin and it's intregration into the wing mount pylon might be the issue there.

In the end, it was really pit road gaffes and contact that cost Audi big time, not speed.

Better doesn't necessarily faster. Better means you end up in the winner's circle. Peugeot had the better car today. Period, no excuses, much less made up ones (for instance the one about the fin on the Audi--pure fantasy).