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Mercedes hopeful it will have faster race pace than Ferrari at Monza

Published on 03 Sep 2019 14:10
2
By: Fergal Walsh

Mercedes is hoping that it will be able to benefit from its strong race pace on Sundays at this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

Ferrari picked up its first victory of the season last Sunday at the Belgian Grand Prix, as it stayed at the head of the pack following a dominant display in qualifying from Charles Leclerc.

However, Leclerc found himself under pressure towards the end of the race as Lewis Hamilton closed in, as the Mercedes driver was more comfortable on the medium compound.

MORE: Hamilton: Mercedes must make 'drastic' straight-line speed gains before Monza

Monza, a high-speed circuit, is set to favour the Ferrari package who has held the advantage in a straight-line over Mercedes this season.

"From a performance perspective, our weekend in Spa gave us plenty to work on," said team boss Toto Wolff. "We were out-qualified and, while our race pace looked promising, we didn't manage to take the win.

"However, given our performance in Belgium last year, it felt like we had also made a step forward. We don't have the fastest car in a straight line this year but we made some progress with regards to the slow-speed corners and the way our car handles the tyres. So there are positives to take away from Spa as well.

"We don't expect the Italian Grand Prix to be an easy weekend. Monza is 'the' power circuit in F1, that rewards high power and low drag.

"While we have had the fastest overall package on the grid this season, it's not ideal for a track where straight-line speed is a key performance differentiator.

"However, we've also seen that the Ferraris look mighty at high-speed tracks on Saturdays, but don't look quite as strong on Sundays - and that's when the points are won. We will not be favourites in Italy, but we will do everything we can to take the fight to the red team this weekend."

With eight rounds left to run in the 2019 world championship, Mercedes holds a 145 gap over Ferrari in the constructors' standings

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Replies (2)

calle.itw

Posts: 8,527
Please don't. Stay just like you are now. Stay like it forever, even through the next season where the others've brought upgrades.
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- Sep 3 2019 - 18:01
f1ski

Posts: 726
Toto trying to mind f!@k ferrari again. The fast on sat not so much on sunday is true but I wonder if MB has speed targets during practice and work their numbers knowing they have room to up the power in race trim to close the gap. Being able to improve times by 1.4 seconds is not Lewis magic but HP on a dialed in chassis. MB has done a great job during this hybrid era but its advantage has clearly been HP . While others have closed the gap Ferrari i think doesn't make the power in race trim that MB does. For nobody to unlock the secret to their advantage makes me suspect a rat. This attitude I perceive that they 'know' they can tap into more performance at will makes me even more suspicious. Remember the saying 2 types of racers cheaters and losers. The natural ebb and flow of success makes me suspicious.
- + 0
- Sep 3 2019 - 19:13