The first race of the season is in the bag and some are not convinced by Ferrari’s victory. Planet F1 readers react to the race in Melbourne… You can join the discussion here, or if you have anything else F1-related that you want to get off your chest, you can also e-mail us at [email protected] No worries I don’t think Mercedes will be worried at all, a software glitch is way easier to fix than a inherently slower car. Lewis kept on Seb’s tail, putting in fastest laps in dirty air, with 7 laps older tyres. When he dropped back after his mistake he caught him again pretty quickly. Little to be concerned about, without Valterri’s crash and the VSC mess today could well have been a Merc 1-2. I expect Bahrain to be a comfortable win, for Mercedes, likely a 1-2. Let’s just hope Red Bull can stay close to Ferrari. Big shame for Haas, hopefully that wasn’t their one and only opportunity for a good result. Fernando vs Max could have … [Read more...] about Race reaction: Ferrari no match for Mercedes
Mercedes
Marko: Mercedes playing with everyone
Hitting the 'party mode' button in Q3, Helmut Marko reckons Mercedes' rivals are going to struggle to beat them this season unless the FIA intervenes. Lewis Hamilton was the man to beat in Melbourne this past weekend where he claimed pole position and was on course for the victory were it not for a Virtual Safety Car and a Mercedes software glitch. Undoubtedly in the fastest car with the best engine, Mercedes have a "party mode" button that Hamilton used in Q3 to give him even more of an edge over the Brackley team's rivals. He took pole position by six-tenths ahead of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen. "Mercedes is playing with everyone," F1i.com quoted Red Bull's Marko as having said. "They can decide with their power modes how far ahead they are. But this time they apparently got it wrong and are too far ahead. "I said to Ferrari: Mercedes is five tenths ahead and they said no. But everyone has been asleep. "With that engine, no one can beat Mercedes. They're in a different world. "We have a … [Read more...] about Marko: Mercedes playing with everyone
Race quotes: Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull
Sebastian Vettel coasted to victory in Canada, with Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen completing the podium spots. Ferrari Sebastian Vettel: To follow… Kimi Raikkonen: To follow… Mercedes Valtteri Bottas: “We tried everything we could, but I don’t think we had a chance to really fight for the win today. I had an exciting start to the race, when I was defending second place as hard as I could. I was on the outside in Turn 1, trying to carry a lot of speed to be on the inside line for Turn 2. I went wheel to wheel with Max, we fought hard, but it was all fair and I was just happy that I managed to stay ahead of him. After that I was trying to put pressure on Sebastian, but didn’t have enough pace. The Ferrari was controlling the race and we just weren’t quick enough today. I backed off late in the race to save some fuel which is why Max got so close. We were the only top team that didn’t bring a new engine for this race, everyone else had … [Read more...] about Race quotes: Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull
Qualy quotes: Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull
It was a return to form for Mercedes in qualifying at the Circuit de Catalunya. Ferrari on the second row and Red Bull settle for the third row. Mercedes Lewis Hamilton: “I needed this pole. I’ve not had pole for a while. It was very close but I’m very happy. I was trying to go for it in every sector. It’s important for me to get back into a good position in qualifying, it’s usually a strength of mine. The team have been working so hard, so a huge thank you to everyone. It was a very close qualifying. Ferrari looked to be sandbagging because they could. It took everything to get this result. To get a one-two in qualifying is fantastic for the team. We’ve got a lot of work to do for tomorrow, it’ll be a tough race, but it’s a good way to start the weekend.” Valtteri Bottas: “It was so close today, like it has been all weekend. Good fun. I ruined my first run in Q3 so I only had one chance in the … [Read more...] about Qualy quotes: Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull
Mercedes-Benz X-Class gets Carlex Design two ways
Pick-up trucks tend to lend themselves well to customisation, be they mechanical or aesthetic, and here Carlex Design has offered not just one, but two takes on its rendition of a customised Mercedes-Benz X-Class pick-up. Prior to this, the X-Class had also received the bodykit treatment, Carlex Design had also turned its hand to customising the Toyota Hilux. Here on the X-Class, each customisation package will be offered for up to 999 units each for a total run of 1,998 units. The first package is dubbed Exy Off-Road and as the name suggests, beefs up exterior equipment for off-the-pavement usage. This includes an exterior wrap, body kit, plastic cladding, fender extensions, chunkier tyres and raised suspension. Black leather upholstery is employed on the inside, where leather trim is joined by glossy accents and carbon-fibre trim along with ‘Exy’ embroidery on the seats and a Carlex Design logo on the dashboard. The Exy Off-Road package will cost the buyer upwards of … [Read more...] about Mercedes-Benz X-Class gets Carlex Design two ways