Mercedes understands Sao Paulo mistakes as they head to Las Vegas

Mercedes’s Formula 1 Team Principle, Toto Wolff has said the team have understood their mistakes in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as they head to Nevada for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The F1 sporting world heads to Nevada this week for the reintroduced Las Vegas GP, held on the streets of the iconic ‘Sin City.’ It will be the first time in 40 years since the sport arrived at the city, laid amid the Mojave Desert, for the race in the car park of Caesars Palace. 

However, Mercedes heads into Las Vegas reeling off the back of an underperforming weekend in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The team looked in fine shape to strengthen their hold of P2 in the constructors after Charles Leclerc’s (Ferrari) untimely retirement, on the formation lap. 

However, their seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, slipped down the order and finished eighth while George Russell retired as a result of reliability issues. Despite this, the Mercedes F1 team principal has stated the team understands their mistakes, Wolff said:

“Brazil was probably our most difficult weekend of the season. After promising performances in the US and Mexico, we didn’t perform at our best in Brazil. We have been hard at work to identify the wrong turn we took with the set-up; we have done that. 

“We understand our mistakes and can explain our performance loss to the field. That’s important as we look to secure P2 in the Constructors’ Championship.

“In parallel, we have been preparing for the challenge of racing at a venue that is a complete unknown.”

Although the sport returns to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982, the track will be entirely new and will feature iconic features of the city’s skyline. Mercedes’ simulations believe the circuit will have the second-highest top speeds, behind Monza, helped by a 1.9km straight along the iconic Las Vegas strip.

However, the forecasted low temperatures – expected to be in the single digits – will provide a challenge for the teams to gain the crucial tyre temperatures. There will be a trade-off in set-up for the cars as they ensure the car has good straight-line speed, but enough mechanical grip and downforce to remain competitive in the slower, technical corners.

With the mixed – nightly – conditions and unknown variables, the race will be a head-scratcher for the strategists and engineers. Despite this, according to Wolff, the team have prepared the best they can and they look forward to the challenge. Wolf said: 

“We have prepared the best we can, using the limited information we have, and there are some unique characteristics we can anticipate. 

“The schedule is offset compared to other races. We’ll be running at night, where ambient and track temperatures will likely be in the single digits.

“Plus, the track layout itself is unusual with many slow corners but long straights. It’s going to be a big challenge for us all and we’re looking forward to taking it on.”

The Las Vegas race will stand as the latest starting race in F1’s history with lights out at 10 pm local time, with qualifying taking place at midnight that morning. 

As the penultimate round of the season, once the chequered flag falls the teams will then pack up as they cross the world once more for the season finale in Abu Dhabi a week later. 

That’s all for the article; Mercedes understands Sao Paulo mistakes as they head to Las Vegas!

Read more Formula 1 here:

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• Mercedes reveal understeering and degradation as Sao Paulo woes
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• Brazil GP: Norris pips both Red Bulls to sprint pole as Ocon collides with Alonso
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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.