Mercedes GP waiting for Australian Grand Prix to gauge performance – Formula 1 news
Mercedes GP team boss Norbert Haug has claimed that his team would not jump to conclusions ahead of the 2011 season opener Formula 1 race, which starts at Melbourne in Australia on 27 March.
The German team brought an upgrade package for their car in the final pre-season test session at Barcelona. The new look car was impressive, as driver Michael Schumacher set the fastest time on the fourth day of testing and his teammate Nico Rosberg also
performed well.
However, Haug stated, “The calculations in the wind tunnel said we could come into this direction but then the proof of the pudding is the eating - and so far, so good. But there is no reason to get excited right now.”
The Mercedes boss further added, “We stretched development time to the limit, this was the plan from the beginning and thanks to Ross and his technical guys we have achieved that. But we have not scored a single point so far.”
According to Haug, Mercedes were not the favourite team to win the first race of the 2011 season. However, he hoped that his team would be in a better position compared to the 2010 season, in which they had finished fourth behind Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren.
Considering the overall results of the 2010 season, Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren are expected to fight for the podiums in the new season. The reigning champions lived up to the hopes of their fans and experts.
However, one team failed to impress during the pre-season testing and that was McLaren. The British team did not find the true pace and grip which they are normally associated with and also faced many reliability issues.
Before the start of the final testing session, it seemed as Ferrari and Red Bull will be fighting for the 2011 titles and the rest of the teams will not be able to match their pace and reliability.
This perspective was totally changed when Mercedes unleashed its true potential with the last minute upgrades. Although the German giants impressed everyone with their pace at Barcelona, the team has decided to wait until the Melbourne race to measure their
actual performance.
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