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Nico Rosberg believes Mercedes are struggling with the development of their car against the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari. The German feels that every time the team brings upgrades for their car, they get outdone by their rivals.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after Saturday's practice session, the 2016 F1 world champion said:
“It seems to be a bit of a challenge for Mercedes. Every time they think they’re really coming back, bringing an upgrade and being right there, suddenly they’re six, seven, or eight tenths back which is far, I think that’s a bit unsettling.”
Mercedes have brought upgrades to the Circuit Paul Ricard but that has not translated into their pace in comparison to the front runners. The Silver Arrows updated the W13 with an upgraded nose, a new reduced curvature rear floor edge, and additional internal louvers to the front brake duct exit. Rosberg believes the upgrades are still not translating into performances on track when compared to Red Bull or Ferrari.
Nico Rosberg believes Mercedes are not able to correlate the numbers from their wind tunnel data
The former Mercedes champion feels his former team is unable to correlate data from the wind tunnel and translate it into performance on the track. Nico Rosberg suspects an issue with their data correlation and feels the upgrades on the W13 have not worked significantly.
Commenting on the upgrades brought to the French circuit by his former team, Rosberg said:
“The upgrades don’t seem to be bringing them closer in the way that they’re hoping, so that brings some question marks. Is what they’re seeing in the numbers and the wind tunnel converting onto the car in a real situation on a race track? Maybe they’re having some correlation issues and there will be some head scratching, because the upgrades have not been progressing as much as they would have hoped.”
Similar to the Silverstone and Barcelona circuits, in theory, Circuit Paul Ricard is expected to be the track that suits Mercedes the best on the calendar. The layout, heat, and smooth tarmac make it a favorable circuit for the eight-time world championship winners. Their performance in the Friday practice sessions, however, has been unrepresentative of their true pace.
