Mercedes eyeing ‘easy gains’ to close gap on Ferrari and Red Bull in Saudi Arabia
Mercedes recorded credible third and fourth placed finishes in Bahrain despite struggles with their cars
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Mercedes have said that there are “easy gains” to be made as the German team target an improved performance at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
Despite winning the last eight constructors’ championships, the outfit have struggled with overhauled regulations ahead of the season, with “porpoising” and a lack of race pace causing particular difficulties.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell overcame the issues to finish third and fourth at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix after both Red Bull drivers were forced to retire.
Mercedes will now look to close the gap in performance between their new W13 car and their potential title rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.
While recognising that there are significant problems, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin believes that quick improvements can be made to avoid an extended slow start to the season.
“We just did a de-brief with the drivers and there is a lot of everything [wrong],” Shovlin told the F1 Nation podcast, “There’s bouncing, the balance is poor, there is a lack of low-speed grip, we’re struggling on traction, the drivability could be better, the tyre warm-up is not good enough, the car is a bit on the heavy side.
“There’s a lot to improve which gives us some encouragement. I think we’ll get some easy gains, there’s some low-hanging fruit and what we’re hoping is that we can get those in the next race or two.
“The factory are primed to bring everything they can in the next few days. If we’ve got something useful to bring to Jeddah, we’ll make sure we get it on the car.”
Team principal Toto Wolff suggested earlier this week that Mercedes would “take a chainsaw” to the car’s rear wing in a bid to reduce drag.
Ferrari’s one-two at the Sakhir Circuit suggests that the Italian team could be in the title mix in 2022, adding Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz into a title battle dominated by Hamilton and eventual champion Max Verstappen last season.
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will again be held in Jeddah but has been shifted from December to March between seasons. Hamilton took the win in the inaugural race ahead of Verstappen and then-teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments