Mercedes topped the timesheets: 'Otherwise it will be frustrating'

Mercedes chief Andrew Shovlin is satisfied after the first two free practice sessions in Miami. The German racing stable has speed, although there is also a danger lurking, he revealed in a press release.

It was a surprising sight for everyone: Mercedes was topped the timesheets with a one-two after the end of the first free practice session. Yes, we have seen it before, but in the last two years the team has not had the speed of the years before. Shovlin loved seeing the timesheets, but also brings some nuance: "Our programme in FP1 was offset compared to others, so the headline times flattered us to some degree," says the Briton. Nevertheless, Mercedes looked fast. "We clearly had the car in a nice window and both drivers found that the lap time came quite easily," Shovlin sounded hopeful.

Lurking danger

Still, danger lurks, Mercedes' technical man thinks. "It's going to be difficult to overtake here though so we must improve our single lap balance," he said. Because despite the race pace looking reasonable, Shovlin knows that a bad starting spot can be disastrous: "Otherwise we will face a frustrating Sunday."