Laurent Mekis: Opponents have tactical advantage

Ferrari race director Laurent Mekis commented on the results of qualifying in Melbourne, acknowledging that Red Bull Racing will have a tactical advantage in the race†

Q: Can you explain what happened to Carlos Sainz at the end of qualifying?
Laurent Mekis: We were a little late getting his car ready for the final run. Of course he managed to get onto the track, but we planned to do an extra lap, but time was lost due to the delay.

That’s why I had to ask Carlos to start a fast lap right away. You understand, if you started doing everything consistently, but the situation has changed, then you get out of rhythm. It all happened because of the red flags that prevented Carlos in the first attempt and he ended up finishing at the very bottom of the top ten. But I’m sure he will still win.

Q: From the side it was clear that the Ferrari car is subject to strong longitudinal build-up at high speeds – did you have to change settings because of this?
Laurent Mekis: I don’t think the situation is ideal, but Charles and Carlos have been able to adapt perfectly. However, we initially understood that bumps in Melbourne, even on a fully updated surface, would be felt more strongly than on other tracks. In general, this is a tricky problem.

Q: In what ways do you think the Red Bull car is still superior to the Ferrari F1-75?
Laurent Mekis: We see that they are very strong again this weekend. If you remember Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, they were thousandths of a second ahead of us on both routes. I believe the same is happening in Australia, although the settings here are completely different, and the conditions.

Tomorrow we face a very tough battle and I can’t say for sure who could be ahead at certain stages of the race, but we expect at least three cars to battle for the win. Or even four, if Carlos can bounce back.

Q: How many pit stops do you predict – one or two? Your car starts from pole, but there are two Red Bull Racing cars behind – how much tactical advantage can they gain?
Laurent Mekis: Of course, if a rider has to confront two, it’s always a less favorable situation tactically, but it is. However, we have also been in situations that are quite the opposite, when two of our drivers fought one rival car. Tomorrow will be different, but that’s part of the game. This doesn’t mean we can’t win, but our job is a little more complicated.

The opponents will have an advantage in tactics, but we are determined to fight in every round and will try to take every opportunity to earn more points.