Mercedes sees Red Bull and Ferrari closing in: 'Moving in right direction'

At the start of the race weekend, Mercedes seemed to have little to expect. The German team struggled to get the most out of its car, but managed to improve it to the point where it could compete with its rivals before qualifying.

"It was a strong session for both drivers," Shovlin said in the Mercedes press release. "In the early stages it didn't look like we quite had the pace to fight for the top spot but as the session went on it seemed to be coming towards us and the times were just getting better and better. George put together an awesome lap at the end for pole position."

Mercedes has hopes for near future

It means that neither Ferrari or Red Bull, but Mercedes will be at the front of the grid on Sunday afternoon. That gives Shovlin an excellent feeling. Although the difference with the competitors is still clear, the Mercedes top man notices that his team is getting closer.

"We've been getting closer but at recent races we've not quite had the pace over the stint to match Red Bull or Ferrari. We're expecting it to be tough tomorrow but it's another encouraging sign that we are slowly but surely moving in the right direction and further motivation to the team to keep up the hard work."