Mercedes are by far the fastest in race conditions
The composure displayed yesterday by Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg after their disappointing qualifying session was not feigned. When looking at the lap times from the race simulations conducted on Friday, the Mercedes cars were consistently a second faster per lap than their competitors.
« Maybe the Williams focused especially on qualifying. I really trust my race setup. » Nico Rosberg was not very worried yesterday, at the press conference in the Mercedes motorhome. Even though he was outpaced by the Williams in qualifying, his confidence in the superiority of his car is not diminished. The lap times he clocked in the second free practice session on Friday give him ample reason. On soft or super-soft tires, the fuel-loaded Mercedes consistently ran in the 1’13s, with a best performance of 1’13″308.
When compared to Felipe Massa’s Williams, there’s no contest! Bottas’ Williams No.77 consistently ran in 1:14, with a performance of 1:14.316, more than a second behind Nico Rosberg. The poleman, Felipe Massa, was slightly faster than his teammate but never went below the 1:14 mark. His best lap loaded with fuel was completed in 1:14.052.
Ninth on the grid, Lewis Hamilton is expected to face more difficulties than Nico Rosberg. On Friday, his lap times were also in the 1’13 range, but his best time was “only” 1’13’492. In the midfield pack, he will need to be particularly careful to stay out of trouble in the early laps of the race. After that, his ability to climb up the ranks will simply depend on the possibility of overtaking on the Red Bull Ring. When asked about this in the press conference yesterday, the Briton responded with a laconic “Yes,” accompanied by a big smile. It remains quite a challenge nonetheless.
From our special correspondent in Austria
