Mercedes AMG Petronas expects to be title contenders only in 2014 – Formula 1 news
Mercedes AMG Petronas have said that the team is not targeting to be a real contender at the Formula 1 world championship until 2014.
DPA news agency of Germany has quoted Norbert Haug, the motor sport director, stating that it is not simple to achieve the first place in just a single step when the team had finished fourth in the constructors’ championship during the last two seasons.
“You don’t just jump from fourth to first, so we want to do the countdown: 4, 3, 2, 1,” he is quoted as saying.
According to this judgment, it seems that Mercedes have planned to take the third position in the upcoming 2012 F1 season and after making its way into the top three teams, it will challenge in 2013 and will finally make its way to the championship title
in 2014.
When Mercedes team principal, Ross Brawn was asked about whether the team had a winning car, he expressed, “Not yet. We have made a big step forward in the past twelve months, but still have plenty to do.”
Mercedes was the last team which officially introduced its new car W03 for the forthcoming season at the second pre-season test held at Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona.
Brawn was quite confident at the new car’s design and stated that it was a real achievement for the team after last year’s car. Moreover, he said that the car was made with distinctive nose design and called it an outstanding interpretation of current regulations
of FIA.
Furthermore, since the car has been introduced, there has been a lot of discussion regarding the change in the car’s front as compared to the other rivals with a stepped nose.
However, Haug was quite reserved when he was asked about ‘W-duct’ front wing innovation reported by Mercedes in its new car.
“I’ve read about it in the newspaper,” he told Die Welt newspaper, “and if we had such a part, we would test it first.”
On Mercedes’ broader ambitions, Haug added, “Our engine is said to be the best, our KERS is said to be the best, and now we want to have the best car too.”
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