Performance of the Fw 190A on the Deck?

[yogybär]

Yes, fuel status definitely is very important, especially on a P-51!

Apart from that some technical factors on the not exactly, maybe even misidentified Luftwaffe AC which influence these "races":
- subtypes of 109G-x; 109K; 190A-x; 190F-x 190D-x(MW-50 yes/no) with different engine-subtypes
- did the german use WEP-systems like MW-50 or GM-1 or "erhöhter Laderdruck" (if available&working on his plane).
- maybe the german had external loadouts like MG151/20-gondolas, a droptank, bomb(s) - bombracks themselves can cause ca. 15km/h difference in v_max!
- status of the german A/C's surface due to bad painting, dirt, bad repairs, removed covering etc. pp.
- trim status
...

We can see: A lot was possible.