Formula 1 | Mercedes, Shovlin: “It won't be easy to get rid of the Alpines”

Difficult Saturday for Mercedes, who had a tough time with the Alpines in Suzuka. Hamilton and Russell finished qualifying in sixth and eighth place, with Ocon and Alonso in fifth and seventh, and tomorrow will therefore be a no-holds-barred fight, because the two Englishmen will be in a hurry to at least stay as close as possible to Ferrari and Red Bull, who will likely make the pace. Even today, however, the W13 did not prove to be competitive, but it was widely expected on a circuit like Suzuka.

“The morning work on the race pace didn't go badly, but on the flying lap we had problems because the tires weren't working properly - admitted Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes on-track technical director. We waste time on the straights, but we're not strong in the corners either. We kept the rear wing more loaded because tire degradation was high in the morning, and then it could rain tomorrow. In both situations, the winger should give us an advantage. It won't be easy to do better than Alpine, but we have to do it as quickly as possible to catch Ferrari and Red Bull at the start of the race."