Norris not surprised by Mercedes: 'No one ever looks at the GPS very well'

Mercedes, based on Friday, seems to be returning to the top, at least for this weekend in the United States. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell managed to set very competitive times in the first two free practice sessions. For some this is a big surprise, but Lando Norris and Sergio Perez are not very surprised.

Norris and Perez saw it coming

When Norris is asked by The Race asked about whether he is surprised by Mercedes' performance, the McLaren driver replied. "Not at all. They were what, P4/P5 in Bahrain? They've been strong all year. Just because they have some bouncing, everyone expects them to be terrible. They’re extremely strong in slow-speed corners. Mercedes have probably been one of the best cars in slow speed corners all season, just no one ever looks at the GPS very well and picks it up."

Although Perez hasn't really been battling Mercedes on track in recent weeks, he always knew that the W13 isn't necessarily a bad car. "They’ve been quick in some places, they only needed small tweak to be up here. Nice to have them here, hopefully have a good race with anther team.” 

Mercedes brought a new 'beam-wing' and an improved front and rear wing to Miami this weekend. The new parts seem to have paid off, as it was perhaps the best Friday of 2022 for the German racing stable. However, Russell cautions that these were just free practice sessions and Mercedes' gains in ground may only be due to the track layout rather than the updates introduced.