However, the squad feels that moving away from the strong single-lap form that helped Lewis Hamilton and George Russell top Thursday practice was essential to give it a decent chance in Saturday’s race.
Russell showed the progress Mercedes had made with its car as he ended up qualifying third, three-tenths behind pole position man Max Verstappen.
Reflecting on the form, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed that the team had changed the set-up overnight to move away from where it was on Thursday, after feeling that it was not in the best window over race run distances.
“We changed the balance of the car for a set-up that was less aggressive on the tyres for tomorrow's race, and probably we dialled out too much single lap,” he explained. “That's why it wasn't going as good as yesterday.”
Asked by Autosport what the potential difference was, Wolff said: “Probably we could have had a car fighting Max, but I don't think [with that car] we could have fought Max tomorrow.
“Because it was so new, we shall see if the set-up direction we consciously went for is going to really have a positive effect tomorrow on the race car. And if not, we have another learning stint.”
One of the changes Mercedes made was lifting the car slightly, as the squad remained cautious of a repeat of the plank disqualification that marred last year’s United States Grand Prix.
Source: Autosport