Mercedes braced for ‘horribly tight’ critical F1 battle

Mercedes has acknowledged it is facing 'horribly tight' battle to
remain second in the constructors' championship until the end of
the season. The Brackley-based squad enjoyed a strong showing last
time out in Baku and took over the runner-up spot in the standings.
While McLaren is all but out of reach at the head of the
championship, Mercedes is leading Ferrari and Red Bull by four and
18 points respectively. Having enjoyed its most competitive showing
since Canada last weekend, the team is focusing on replicating the
speed on a consistent basis until the end of the year. “Well, it's
desperately tight, tiny number of points ahead of Ferrari and
barely more ahead of Red Bull,” said Mercedes technical director
James Allison. “All three of us will be wanting that P2 slot in the
championship.  “Red Bull have really been on a roll recently with
Max showing extraordinary form in that car. And Ferrari too are
strong competitors.  “Our focus will be on making sure that we get
both our cars up there strongly in the points at every weekend.” As
it seeks to consolidate second place and mark a stark improvement
from its fourth-place finish last year, Allison suggested a smooth
run during practice will be critical to the outcome of the battle.
“We're masters of our own destiny there because that is how well we
prepare for the weekends, how well we then execute that plan and
give the drivers a stable platform that they've had plenty of laps
in on the Friday, so that when it comes to getting the job done on
the Saturday and Sunday, they feel confident to do so.  “While we
are expecting this to be horribly tight all the way to the end of
the season, it's absolutely there for us if we work well.”