Why Mercedes “has eyes on” another victory amid Qatar perfect storm

Mercedes has admitted {that a} host of things in its favour on the Qatar Grand Prix might assist it ship one other Components 1 victory.

Whereas the workforce continues to be struggling to totally perceive simply why it was in a category of its personal in Las Vegas final weekend, as George Russell led house Lewis Hamilton for a 1-2 end, it feels this weekend’s race at Losail provides it logical causes to really feel bullish.

The dearth of low-speed traction zones, the place Mercedes has struggled, allied to an absence of the kind of sluggish corners the place the drivers have battled understeer and must rotate the automotive with sliding, ought to assist alleviate among the key weaknesses with tyre overheating on the W15 automotive.

Moreover, the absence of bumps on asphalt that was resurfaced forward of final yr’s race, plus a closed easy monitor floor that helps with not abusing tyres a lot, are different components in its favour.

One thing else that might show vital is also that temperatures are a lot cooler than final yr, with the Mercedes identified to be extra aggressive when it’s not so sizzling.

Talking earlier than monitor motion acquired beneath manner, Russell stated that even earlier than the squad started travelling to the ultimate triple-header of the season, it at all times felt Qatar provided it one of the best likelihood of the final three races.

“Coming into the journey, this was the one we had our eyes on, to be sincere,” he defined.

“That was to the purpose that I needed to place an older engine in for Vegas, to have the freshest one potential 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 just aggressive in a slim working window – which is one thing the workforce must work on for subsequent yr.

“After we go to different circuits, when it is actually bumpy, we have got to elevate the automotive up, and acquired to make it actually, actually delicate,” he stated. “That is not how our automotive operates. It is not how all of those vehicles function – however we clearly lose much more than our rivals in these situations.

“We simply must work on making a broader downforce window subsequent yr, as a result of clearly it is manner 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’ principal rival in Las Vegas was Ferrari, which was fast till the purpose it hit a tyre graining part that finally 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 might make this fairly a tough weekend for them once more.

Carlos Sainz, Scuderia Ferrari

Photograph by: Ferrari

Sainz particularly felt that out of the ultimate three races of the yr, this was going to be probably the most tough 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 the event 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 vehicles. We’ve by no means been quick.

“So that you be a part of the truth that this monitor is easy, chilly, and it’s solely these kinds of corners, then on paper we should always wrestle.

“However on the similar 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 might nonetheless be a troublesome weekend when it comes to efficiency but it surely might be weekend when it comes to factors, so I’m hopeful we are able to execute weekend and maximise all the pieces.”