Mercedes has admitted {that a} host of things in its favour on the Qatar Grand Prix may assist it ship one other Method 1 victory.
Whereas the workforce remains to be struggling to completely perceive simply why it was in a category of its personal in Las Vegas final weekend, as George Russell led dwelling Lewis Hamilton for a 1-2 end, it feels this weekend’s race at Losail offers it logical causes to really feel bullish.
The shortage of low-speed traction zones, the place Mercedes has struggled, allied to an absence of the kind of gradual corners the place the drivers have battled understeer and have to rotate the automotive with sliding, ought to assist alleviate a number of the key weaknesses with tyre overheating on the W15 automotive.
Moreover, the absence of bumps on asphalt that was resurfaced forward of final 12 months’s race, plus a closed easy observe floor that helps with not abusing tyres a lot, are different parts in its favour.
One thing else that would show vital is also that temperatures are a lot cooler than final 12 months, with the Mercedes recognized to be extra aggressive when it isn’t so scorching.
Talking earlier than observe motion acquired below approach, Russell stated that even earlier than the squad started travelling to the ultimate triple-header of the season, it at all times felt Qatar supplied it the most effective probability of the final three races.
“Coming into the journey, this was the one we had our eyes on, to be trustworthy,” he defined.
Qatar observe
Photograph by: Uncredited
“That was to the purpose that I needed to place an older engine in for Vegas, to have the freshest one doable for this weekend.
“There’s the smoothness of the tarmac, the coldness, because it’s no secret once we get the automotive in that proper window, it flies.”
Russell feels that one of many classes popping out of Las Vegas is that the Mercedes is barely aggressive in a slender working window – which is one thing the workforce must work on for subsequent 12 months.
“Once we go to different circuits, when it is actually bumpy, we have got to carry the automotive up, and acquired to make it actually, actually smooth,” he stated. “That is not how our automotive operates. It is not how all of those automobiles function – however we clearly lose much more than our rivals in these circumstances.
“We simply have to work on making a broader downforce window subsequent 12 months, as a result of clearly it is approach too peaky now. And that is possibly additionally why we have made so many errors as properly this season, since you simply fall off that cliff.”
Mercedes’ predominant rival in Las Vegas was Ferrari, which was fast till the purpose it hit a tyre graining part that in the end derailed its race.
However after a season the place the hopes of Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have suffered a bit due to high-speed bouncing, the quick nature of the Losail circuit may make this fairly a tough weekend for them once more.
Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari
Photograph by: Ferrari
Sainz specifically felt that out of the ultimate three races of the 12 months, this was going to be essentially the most troublesome one.
“On paper [this is] the most important problem we’re going to face since we’ve launched these upgrades to the automotive which have made us carry out higher,” he stated.
“In case you have a look at Mexico sector two, Austin sector one, Vegas sector one, at any time when there have been high-speed corners in a sector we haven’t been within the prime 4 automobiles. We’ve by no means been quick.
“So that you be part of the truth that this observe is easy, chilly, and it’s solely these kinds of corners, then on paper we must always wrestle.
“However on the identical time, one factor is to wrestle on efficiency, one other factor is the quantity of factors you are taking from the weekend. We have to maximise that.
“It may nonetheless be a troublesome weekend when it comes to efficiency nevertheless it may very well be a great weekend when it comes to factors, so I’m hopeful we are able to execute a great weekend and maximise all the things.”
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