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 may assist it ship one other Components 1 victory.

Whereas the crew continues 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 provides 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 sluggish corners the place the drivers have battled understeer and must rotate the automobile with sliding, ought to assist alleviate a number of the key weaknesses with tyre overheating on the W15 automobile.

Moreover, the absence of bumps on asphalt that was resurfaced forward of final 12 months’s race, plus a closed clean observe floor that helps with not abusing tyres a lot, are different parts in its favour.

One thing else that might show important is also that temperatures are a lot cooler than final 12 months, with the Mercedes recognized to be extra aggressive when it’s not so sizzling.

Talking earlier than observe motion bought underway, 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 the most effective likelihood of the final three races.

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

Qatar observe

Photograph by: Uncredited

“That was to the purpose that I wished to place an older engine in for Vegas, to have the freshest one attainable for this weekend.

“There’s the smoothness of the tarmac, the coldness, because it’s no secret after we get the automobile 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 crew must work on for subsequent 12 months.

“Once we go to different circuits, when it is actually bumpy, we have to elevate the automobile up, and bought to make it actually, actually mushy,” he stated. “That is not how our automobile operates. It is not how all of those vehicles function – however we clearly lose much more than our rivals in these circumstances.

“We simply must 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’ principal 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 probably the most tough one.

“On paper [this is] the largest problem we’re going to face since we’ve launched these upgrades to the automobile which have made us carry out higher,” he stated.

“When you have a look at Mexico sector two, Austin sector one, Vegas sector one, each time 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 observe is clean, chilly, and it’s solely these kinds of corners, then on paper we should always wrestle.

“However on the identical time, one factor is to wrestle on efficiency, one other factor is the quantity of factors you’re taking from the weekend. We have to maximise that.

“It may nonetheless be a troublesome weekend when it comes to efficiency but it surely may very well be a superb weekend when it comes to factors, so I’m hopeful we are able to execute a superb weekend and maximise every little thing.”