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Mercedes might have made a tactical blunder in its preparation for this weekend's Bahrain grand prix. That is the view of former F1 driver turned German-language pundit Marc Surer, after Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel almost beat the silver cars two weeks ago in Australia.
Now, Mercedes is expecting another tough battle in Bahrain. "Ferrari were a real threat all weekend in Melbourne and it's clear that we've got a big battle on our hands," said Australia GP winner Nico Rosberg.
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And now, the pundit for German Sky television, Surer, thinks Ferrari might even have the tactical advantage over Mercedes in Bahrain. "Mercedes may regret having only one set of medium tyres (per driver) available, as it was the compound with which they drove to victory in Melbourne. Ferrari on the other hand has three mediums (per driver) in the luggage."
However, Surer said teams actually made their tyre choices for Bahrain long before Australia. "It was impossible to predict what would happen in Australia," he agreed, adding that the new tyre regulations for 2016 have succeeded in spicing up the sport. "It is absolutely an improvement," said Surer. "The rules seem complicated, but in practice they are actually quite good." (GMM)
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
C. Sainz jr
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Replies (3)
Login to replyf1dave
Posts: 782
Tyre choices made months ahead of the race, how is this spicing up the racing? More like a crap shoot to me.
khasmir
Posts: 893
I don't understand what point Surer is trying to make. Ferrari did not even use the medium tyres in Australia so why is it a good thing they have 3 sets now???
And I'm too lazy to check the details so could be wrong but I think that one set of mediums is the only one Merc used in Australia, so why is it a bad thing they have only one set now???
Where is the logic in Surer his reasoning? It makes no sense at all.
Sounds more like Russian roulette to me...
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Its probably wish-thinking, and I cant blame him, it'd be very nice with a different winner so early in the season. Im not sure if I'd call this track tyreintense, so it might actually be Ferrari who will regret their decision, but I hope that isnt the case.