Home » Sports » Motor Racing
Wounded Mercedes seeks China rebound
Print Edition
MERCEDES will be looking to reassert its Formula One dominance at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend after the team received a loud wake-up call in Malaysia by Sebastian Vettel’s revitalized Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton led a Mercedes one-two ahead of Nico Rosberg in the season opener in Melbourne last month, the pair enjoying a Sunday stroll at Albert Park that left the rest of the field trailing in their wake and fans fearing the worst.
Another procession was expected in Malaysia but Vettel and Ferrari had other ideas with both winning a race for the first time since 2013, thanks to a car that was much kinder on the tires in the sweltering heat and a tactical masterclass from race engineers.
Mercedes is now fully aware it has a real title fight on its hands from a team that stumbled from one crisis to another in a winless 2014 campaign, but the German outfit will be happy to race at a circuit that suits the car with track temperatures far less demanding on the Pirelli tires.
“We left Malaysia with plenty to think about. It may have been a good result for the sport ... but for us, it was a wake-up call,” Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff said. “Our opposition has raised its game and we must now raise ours even further. As we have said since Melbourne, we expect a season-long battle for both world championships and we must maximize every opportunity.
“China is the next chance to do that ... a circuit which has been a good hunting ground for the team.”
Hamilton beat Rosberg to the checkered flag in Shanghai a year ago and while recent trends make Mercedes the favorite at the 5.451-kilometer Hermann Tilke-designed circuit, Ferrari won the race in 2013 and will be keen to prevent the Briton from registering a record-extending fourth win in China.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
