Ross Brawn raises hopes of championship as Schumacher tops the table in Barcelona – Formula 1 news
Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn has raised hopes for the 2011 championship title after Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg were able to be in P3’s for the first time in the new upgraded car, MGP-W02.
He said that the races timing are not the concern, but the reliability of the Mercedes car has been impressive for the first time.
Mercedes team have recently made some upgrades to their car which includes a revised front wing and new turning vanes. Michael Schumacher took the upgraded car out on the fourth day of the test and very early in the race, he posted the fastest time of 1
minute and 21.249 seconds which remained unbeaten for the entire day. He handed the car to team-mate Nico Rosberg who finished the day in P3.
Brawn was talking to the media when he said that Mercedes have looked competitive for the first time in the pre-season testing.
He was talking about the Red Bull car and said that they have certainly looked the top team.
Brawn said, “That [Red Bull] is who we have to beat to win races. So that is my judgement, but I don't think it is unachievable and things change quite quickly in F1.”
Talking about the lap times, he said that no one knows any team because the fuel-load is variable for everyone. He said that the real cars will be hitting the Melbourne circuit with the same specifications and then the teams will be tested for real.
Brawn further said, “So it may not be the fastest car that is winning the early races, we will be pretty respectable in Melbourne.”
He said that there will be more upgrades during the entire 2011 season.
Mercedes will be joined by McLaren, Williams, Hispania Racing Team and Ferrari on the final day of the pre-season testing in Barcelona where the forecast is cloudy.
The teams will then head to Australia for the season opener. Michael Schumacher and Nico Rosberg will drive the car in morning and evening sessions respectively.
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