Source: REUTERS/Issei Kato
[Saba Sports News] The performance in the F1 Japanese Grand Prix practice session shocked the paddock, with McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri rarely issuing a joint warning: the Mercedes W16 showed impressive speed, is causing a sudden change in the championship situation at Suzuka Circuit. From the first practice data, Mercedes driver George Russell set the fastest lap in sector S1, only 0.08 seconds slower than Norris’s flying lap. Even more terrifying, the Mercedes car’s average speed in high-speed corners is 3 km/h faster than McLaren’s, which is the key to victory at Suzuka Circuit. In response, Norris said that McLaren’s leading advantage is disappearing. Piastri issued an even more dangerous signal, hinting that Mercedes deliberately hided its real speed in tire tuning, and its long-distance pace is unfathomable. According to Mercedes’ technical director James Allison, the team mainly carried out three upgrades in Japan: a redesigned rear suspension geometry, a more aggressive front edge of the floor, and a tail wing setting optimized specifically for the 130R corner. These upgrades increased the W16 car’s downforce in high-speed corners by 12%, perfectly countering McLaren’s pride in the S curve advantage.