Breaking news
Formula 1 Australian GP
Mercedes uncertain it is as fast as it looks
Toto Wolff says his Mercedes Formula 1 team cannot judge whether its Australian Grand Prix qualifying domination was an "outlier" or if it is truly that much faster than Ferrari.
Scott Mitchell
Published: Mar 16, 2019, 11:02 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes one-two in Melbourne, beating teammate Valtteri Bottas to pole by just a tenth as Sebastian Vettel lapped 0.7s slower in the lead Ferrari.
Vettel had emerged from pre-season testing as the benchmark and Mercedes was still asserting Ferrari was the team to beat on the eve of the season opener.
Wolff said: "When we came to Australia and hit the road running on Friday it was difficult to really know what to expect – whether we were quickest or not quickest, or whether it would be very close.
"And we had a great Friday. We didn't trust it completely, and the car was equally good today.
"It's just all the work that has gone in since we started testing and the analysis since then that put a car on track that was really fast.
"But it wasn't the easiest of starts in Barcelona and we can't judge yet whether it was a bit of an outlier because Melbourne is different or whether generally we have a car that is as fast as it looks or seems today."
Wolff said Mercedes' performance proves the car is fast but it needs to understand why it was able to unlock this level of pace, after Hamilton and Bottas expressed their surprise at their speed after qualifying.
Last season, Hamilton qualified on pole with a 0.6s advantage over Ferrari but Vettel won the race and proceeded to have the faster car over the next few grands prix.
Asked by Motorsport.com if he would be disappointed if Mercedes did not continue like this, or if it would rationalise the performance: "I would like to continue this way of course, but I don't think this is what we can expect.
"I believe that the championship is going to be equally fought over like it was last year.
"Just because we had a very good Friday and a very good Saturday in Melbourne, it doesn't mean this will be a home run for the championship.
"On the contrary, we will - like last year - need to stretch ourselves to the maximum and really leave no stone unturned, like we did after Barcelona to keep ourselves competitive in the way we've been today."
Mercedes introduced a major aerodynamic package in the second week of testing but it was not until the final day in Spain that Wolff said he saw light at the end of the tunnel.
"We were really experimenting with the car in order to understand when it was performing, how it was performing," said Wolff.
"Then on Friday when we started the first proper low-fuel runs the car was together, we were equally fast with Ferrari, and we felt there was an upside from there."
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Leclerc says he did a "very bad job" in Q3
Next article Kubica says brushing wall was "embarrassing"
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Scott Mitchell
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Formula 1
Formula 1
Alfa Romeo must do better in "chaotic" races - Vasseur
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Formula 1
Formula 1
Honda: Verstappen relationship 'like a young Senna'
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
Formula 1
Formula 1
Key team personnel shouldn't be F1 boss - Ferrari
More from
Mercedes
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Franco Colapinto, George Russell to sit out FP1 at F1 Mexico GP
Toto Wolff dismisses Helmut Marko's Russell theory: "He still has what it takes"
Formula 1
Formula 1
United States GP
Toto Wolff dismisses Helmut Marko's Russell theory: "He still has what it takes"
Latest news
IndyCar veteran Sting Ray Robb secures United Autosports Asian Le Mans seat
IndyCar
Indy IndyCar 50 min
IndyCar veteran Sting Ray Robb secures United Autosports Asian Le Mans seat
Five things to look out for at the F1 Mexico GP
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Mexican GP
3 h
Five things to look out for at the F1 Mexico GP
Every time NASCAR took a win away due yellow line violations
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
3 h
Every time NASCAR took a win away due yellow line violations
Max Verstappen sits out for Red Bull in Mexico GP FP1
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
United States GP
3 h
Max Verstappen sits out for Red Bull in Mexico GP FP1
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe