Source: Mercedes-Benz Archive

F1 News

Mercedes say Ferrari are favourites for Brazil win

Mercedes say Ferrari are favourites for Brazil win

11-11-2018 11:35
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Jake Williams-Smith

Mercedes believes that Ferrari is the favourite for the Brazilian Grand Prix after the Scuderia pulled off a risky tyre strategy in Q2 to start both cars on the soft compound tyres. 

As rain began to fall at Interlagos, teams wanted to set their times quickly to avoid the worst of the conditions. Ferrari however opted to box both cars before setting a laptime and fit the soft tyres in order to give themselves a better race strategy by starting on the more durable tyre.

Mercedes had already committed to the supersoft tyres which Toto Wolff believes gives Ferrari the advantage going into the Brazilian Grand Prix.

"Ferrari took a big gamble in qualifying, switching tyres when the rain was imminent," he said. And it paid off. They are on the more robust tyre for tomorrow.

"They have a disadvantage at the start but a big advantage over the first 10-15 laps, which in our models shows them as the favourite.

"We didn't take that risk because we thought it was disproportionate, but we can understand that Ferrari, where they are now, the only way of really staying in the fight for the constructors' championship is to do things differently and take risks, and that's what they did, and it paid off."