BMW: better than Mercedes?

[Ralf's Girl]

My question is obvious: is this year's BMW engine better than this year's Mercedes engine?

I watched (very nervously) the last few laps of the race, when Mika Hakkinen closed right up on Ralf under braking, only to be left looking like he was stationary going down the straights. The BMW engine appeared to be far more powerful (and the Williams had more traction as well) on the straights, so is the BMW better than the Mercedes?

[Gt_R]

Certainly looks so that the BMW are more powerful than the Merc. Rumours around paddock has it that the BMW is the most powerful engine, ahead of Ferrari and Honda too, but more thirsty than the Mercedes. But its unlikely for us to find out, as such figures are a big secret.

[MichaelC]

Well for an engine to be better overall, it has to be better at all circuits, or certainly the majority of them. It's obviously too early in the season to see how it will be at somewhere short and twisty such as Monaco or Hungary, but I think it's fair to say it's going to be as good at the quicker circuits.

It certainly appears to have plenty of power, in combination with a decent chassis

[Bononi]

Certainly it is !
I would love to see BMW on top again. It's been so long since the Brabham's days.

[steve nielsen]

even Jos pulled away from Mika on the straights, something is'nt working to great at Maclaren....

[Maximum F1]

Actually, the BMW is faster than both the Ferrari and Mercedes engine. It is 9km/h faster than the Ferrari and faster again than the Mercedes. Finally we will see a bit more competition (even though i am a Ferrari Fan). I would also really like to see a jordan driver on the podium soon!
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[LYM]

McLaren's Bridgestone tyres obviously offered better grip than Michelin, if it's other circuits Mika would have overtaken Ralfie. But at Sepang the tyre advantage he gained over the corners was immediately lost to BMW's horsepower at the straights.

So yes, it was BMW's engine and Ralf dogged determination that won him the battle.

[RT]

The information that I have read is that BMW may have about 15 hp over Ferrari and another 15 hp over Mac Laren. I guess we'll never know exactly. The precise numbers are secret and, moreover, they will change over the season. However, it must be a great feeling to know nobody will beat your car on a straight line.

Anybody has any figures about weight?

[Maximum F1]

We will most certainly see what Williams are really made of in Brazil. As we all know this is a very high speed cicuit with at least one massive straight. Williams should be in their prime here as their car seems to be the best on straight line speed.
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[R]

It looks like Williams are moving up, and McLaren moving down the order. (Something was definitely not right with the McLarens this weekend.) The BMW engine was impressive even last year, and now it looks like it might be better than the Mercedes. However I will agree it's too early to tell. There's nothing wrong with the straight line speed of the BMW though, as other posters have said.

That aside, Williams were very unlucky today. They could have had both cars in the points, and Ralf on the podium if not for Rubens' - well, tactics when passing cars piloted by Germans (apart from his team-mate of course, who he never will pass, unless they both go off at exactly the same spot ).

[Maximum F1]

Apparently the McLarens were suffering from Understeer and are finding it hard to correct the problem.
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[WoodyTJ]

I think McLaren just had their car set up badly

Wait until a couple more races and i'm sure they will be back!

[Mania]

Well James Allen said that Ralf's BMW Williams had around a 12km advantage on the straights which is unbelievabale. I thought Ralf drove a brilliant race, after all that happened to him, it was him and Jos who really kept me glued to the tv!

Mercedes have never really had a ultra quick engine when it comes to straight line speed so I dont think we should read too much into that. However, if that BMW can build on their fair traction in and out of the corners, then it's possible they may have an edge over the Mercedes. At the moment, I think the Mclarens are suffering an aerodynamic problem which is preventing them for using the power of that Mercedes engine.

BMW Power - it sure as hell was impressive though....

[EERO]

Williams BMW are clearly poised to take on the Red and Silver cars-I just hope thatWilliams return to form isn't accompanied by a McLaren decline. I'd like to se more drivers with a shot at it. Ralf's first win isn't far away.

[SL]

It might be a little more than top BHP. It would seem that the BMW pulls better from lower rev's than the Merc. MH did seem to suffer from low down grunt from corners and thus losing out on top speed

Simon

[WilliamsBMWF1]

Yes our engine is so good McLaren and Williams should battle it out now for second postion in constructors championship.Williams will also have the traction control that Ferrari are using.Dont forget that Williams were the masters in traction control ,I cant remember if they came up with the concept it may have been lotus,but they refined it to the highest level.Williams were lacking a powerfull engine and now we have it ,time to enjoy the good time that will roll in.Williams always performed badly at Sepang so this is really positive.Montoya was so unlucky today he deserved better Brazil next POWER Ciruit so long as the Williams rides the bumps well and has a good suspension package they will be right at the sharp end again.

[Schumacher]

I was certainly impressed with the BMW Williams. In particular, Ralf Schumacher who drove a brilliant race. He fought back throughout the afternoon and his overtaking was a joy to watch.

I believe the BMW engine is the second quickest on the track after Ferrari. So it should be interesting to see how Ralf Schumacher does in the following races. Williams were well placed, unfortunately Rubino tried a stupid move and took Ralf out of the running for a top three position. And then at the pit stop the team took to long and were unable to compensate by switching him to a one stopper. Nevertheless, I agree Ralf Schumacher is not to far away from his first win and it may come before we head out to Silverstone where the Williams have always gone well.

[Wrex]

As it was stated before, Frank is back!

I don't think he will better 3rd in the constructors this year, as The Mac's will get better back in Europe. But the will be close in the end, and most certainly challenging for both championships next year. Go Williams!!

[kuchi]

I also heard that the williams have a bit more hp than the macs, and it really showed up at sepang´s long straights, nad it´s going fun to watch the qualifying in Brazil, because of that long straight. It´s good for Frank to be back to the top, sadly montoya has not proved yet his skills, but the car seems to be working weel enough.

[Dino IV]

Hard to tell from what we saw at Sepang if the BMW is indeed that powerful as some here say. In Oz as well as in Malaysia they recorded highest top speeds at the straights, but the Arrows-Supertec did that as well last year. In the rain you can't say anything really as it's traction not power which is the crucial factor for straightline speed. But considering the rest of their laptimes it at leats shows the engine is up with the best in terms op power.

Ilien didn't come up with that powerfull engines in the past. He kinda aims for the whole package - weight, fuel consumption, midrange etc - but it seems to me he has lost that much sight on outright power that he's even further off as last year in that respect. Last year he lacked some 10 hp on the Ferrari and the Honda and he didn't make that ground up that's for sure. The BMW is ahead as well I guess and might be up there with the Ferrari and the Honda.

Monza will be a real thrill with the engine manufacturers declaring war on each other like this. Frontal area has been optimized and drag has lessened quite a bit so they'll break some top speed record for the third time in a row probably.