Mercedes dominated the first free practice session in Austin, showing an unprecedented difference in speed, especially on the straights. Christian Horner has his suspicions about how his rivals achieved this and even talks about a system that would allow Mercedes to lower the rear end.
Horner's theory is supported by onboard footage, which shows that the rear suspension of the Mercedes drops on the straight. This would increase the top speed by reducing the amount of drag.
Movable suspension Mercedes doesn't go unnoticed
"If you look at the rear of their car you can see that it moves down on the straight," Horner stated to Sky Sports. Paul di Resta, who works for the channel as an analyst, hadn't failed to notice the moveable rear of the Mercedes either.
Toto Wolff, however, wants to know nothing of that suggestion. "Those are all nice stories, but everyone is working on improving the suspension and we have been doing that for a long time. People always think that there is a golden discovery, but my experience shows that this is not the case," said the Mercedes team boss.