Schumacher: "Red Bull has its nose slightly in front"
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- GPblog.com
After Friday's first free practice in the United States, it looked like it would be an easy weekend for Mercedes. Red Bull Racing seemed to have gone in the wrong direction with the RB16B, but the Austrian formation recovered handsomely and saw Max Verstappen take pole position and victory. Ralf Schumacher thinks Red Bull now has the advantage.
"Red Bull has made a step forward. Mercedes have to stretch themselves. Red Bull has its nose slightly in front. It remains exciting," Schumacher told Sky. After the weekends in Russia and Turkey Mercedes were seen as the big favourites, but the roles have now been reversed.
The F1 analyst had expected more from Mercedes' speed. "Mercedes couldn't keep up with the performance at the beginning. By the time Lewis had the speed, the race was already over. The Mercedes was a bit lame at times today," Schumacher said.
Vettel takes world championship point
After four Grands Prix without points Sebastian Vettel was finally back in the top-ten. The four-time world champion took advantage of a slide by former teammate Kimi Raikkonen, finished tenth and thus picked up one point for the world championship. "He shows the consistency he has. It was a tough race. The strategy was right. Sebastian as a person can help the team with his experience," he concluded.