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Mercedes analyses tyre problem

15:50, 22 Apr 2018

byNicolás Quarles van Ufford

The Ferrari-win in Melbourne in the first race of the season seemed like a fluke, and Mercedes looked like the favourite for this year's title again, but Mercedes is in trouble.

Mercedes hasn't won any of the first three races, which is their longest run without a win in the hybrid era. The car seems to be lacking overall pace and balance. James Vowles, head of racing strategy at Mercedes, answers fan questions about the tyre strategies of the German team, and the overall importance of the compound.

"The tyres clearly have more impact than last year, but the fact that we're competing with three teams has an effect on the impact of the tyres," he explains.

"If you're far ahead you can take it a bit easier, but with two teams around you, that's not possible.

"In Melbourne, we were good on all compounds, but in Bahrain Ferrari was much faster on the super-softs, and in China Red Bull was much better on the softs.

"So, we've had multiple circuits that were different for each team."

So why is that? Why is every circuit so different for each team?

"It depends per corner how you turn, accelerate and brake," Vowles continues.

"This all matters when trying to get the right temperature on the tyres.

"You need to have the right balance to be able to cool them off of heat them up to get them just right."