Lauda: Mercedes has an advantage, for now
Mercedes is one lap ahead of the other teams. That's the opinion of Niki Lauda after the private tests in Jerez, although he remains cautious before the first Grand Prix on March 16th, in Melbourne, Australia.
Starts well for the German team. Even if the teams were not focusing on performance in Southern Spain, many experts predict a better start for Mercedes than for Ferrari, McLaren, and especially Red Bull. « Jerez only served to test the new engines », admits three-time world champion (1975, 1977, 1984) Niki Lauda in the Austrian newspaper Osterreich. « We covered the distance of three and a half Grand Prix, and I am satisfied. At this moment, it seems that we have an advantage over our competitors, but that could quickly change. »
Caution therefore remains essential for the non-executive chairman of the team based in Brackley. Especially with the arrival of the new V6 Turbo engines that the drivers are discovering. They are sensitive, complex, and difficult to control, admits Lauda. Technically, it’s a huge challenge, even at Mercedes where we encountered a few problems, but we managed to solve them immediately.
A debate that turned into a controversy, especially after Bernie Ecclestone’s critical remarks regarding the new engines. The Austrian disagrees with the head of Formula One Management (FOM), even regarding the noses: “The engine sound is still as fascinating,” he says. “Once the car is fast and wins, that’s the main thing.”
Lauda finally addressed another controversy directly involving him. The German magazine Titanic published a cover photo of the former driver with a terrified face, titled: First photo – this is how much Schumi’s accident affected him. « It’s impertinent, disrespectful, and absolutely unacceptable. Who would publish such nonsense? » So that’s clear.
