Mercedes remains attentive to Red Bull's tire strategy

At the start of the United States Grand Prix this evening (to be followed live with commentary with our live-text from 21 p.m.), three of the first four drivers on the grid will start on soft tires. Lewis Hamilton, the pole sitter, as well as his teammate Nico Rosberg, had made their passage to Q3 yesterday in qualifying with the yellow stripe compound from Pirelli.

A strategic choice of the Silver Arrows imitated by the Red Bull RB12 Max Verstappen, but Christian Horner's training did not entirely follow the world champion team, since Daniel Ricciardo will start on super-soft tires. A choice desired by the Australian, who also counts well take advantage of it when the lights go out.

Without going so far as to say that concern reigns among Mercedes, this separate strategy from Red Bull Racing remains a subject closely scrutinized by the German team. “They took a little advantage by dividing the tire strategies on their cars. » recognize Toto wolff, boss of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport.

The team boss believes that such a decision was not on the agenda given the situation of his two drivers. “It’s something we didn’t want to do with our drivers at this stage of the season, explains Wolff, who must manage the fight for the world title between Rosberg and Hamilton over the last four Grands Prix. And this could make things more difficult for us today. »