F1: Mercedes returns to Las Vegas with trepidation

Regardless of changing pole place into its fourth win of 2024, Mercedes returns to Las Vegas taking nothing without any consideration.

A robust weekend in Brazil noticed the German staff reclaim second within the staff standings, however with simply 36 factors masking it, Purple Bull and Ferrari it is aware of it has a struggle on its palms.

“On observe, we have re-established our benefit within the battle for P2,” says Toto Wolff, previewing this weekend’s race. “We’re not taking something without any consideration although,” he admits.

“We noticed throughout Austin and Mexico simply how shortly that hole can disappear,” he continues, “and, while our efficiency final yr in Las Vegas might have raised expectations externally for this weekend, we aren’t getting carried away.

“The sector is extremely aggressive and it will be a battle proper till the bitter finish in Abu Dhabi. We now have three weeks of arduous racing forward to determine who comes out on high and we’re able to get going.”

Nevertheless, this weekend’s motion takes place two hours sooner than the earlier runnings, which might be a problem for the W16 which is understood to favor cooler temperatures.

“I’ve mentioned let’s simply preserve precisely the identical automobile that we had final yr, let’s not change it,” says the Austrian, “however sadly that is not the case anymore. So, we have got to be very analytical of what’s the automobile that we want for Las Vegas, what’s the ambient temperature, and might we replicate the sort of performances. However I doubt it.

“We simply have to go there open-minded,” he admits. “It is a new weekend, and hopefully we’re in a position to carry out properly.”

“I feel it’s extremely tough to have a correct expectation of a efficiency as a result of in the event you take a look at final yr and this yr, we received in all totally different races between final yr and this yr,” provides Simone Resta, the German staff’s deputy technical director.

“It is fairly tough to attract a direct guess between how we had been final yr and the way it is going to be this yr,” he admits. “We’re going into these races as motivated as ever. We’re making an attempt to arrange ourselves in the easiest way. The drivers, they’re each fairly optimistic and we’ll attempt to maximise our efficiency.”