Mercedes: 'We didn't expect to lose so much time'

Ahead of the start of the 2021 Formula 1 season, the different constructors went to Bahrain to test their new cars. After testing there is always talk about the results and that was most certainly the case with Mercedes this year. A subject of discussion was why they stayed in the pit lane for so long during the tests.

During a question and answer session James Vowles and Andrew Shovlin, motorsport strategy director and trackside engineering director at Mercedes, explained why so much time was lost after lunch. Each time the Mercedes car stayed in the pit lane for over an hour, causing valuable time to be lost. Shovlin explains:

So Mercedes' planning went a bit haywire during testing, but that wasn't all. The car for 2021 also has some flaws. The rear of the car is a bit unstable and the gearbox didn't work properly. Vowles talked about this in the question and answer session.

Shovlin complemented Vowles by saying that there is a focus on understanding why the rear of the Mercedes was so weak during testing and how it can be strengthened. Hopefully Mercedes will get this under control before the races get underway on 28 March.