Mercedes motorsport boss Norbert Haug has changed his tune following the test in Barcelona last week.
The German had previously stated that the W02 was outside the top ten quickest cars but, following a change of strategy and further updates in Barcelona, he’s much more upbeat on the teams prospects.
“The times we have seen in Barcelona, look ever better than what we have seen in previous tests,” Haug told Auto und Motor Sport. “Because we were able to drive more laps, we now understand the car and the tires better and that brings about lap-time.
“With our laps [in Barcelona], we went with very different settings than before. If everything goes in the right direction, the Silver Arrow may just surprise you,” he added.
Haug believes the greater top speed of the Mercedes might just be their key to making up places in the opening few laps. During the latest test, the Brackley-based team were the quickest through the speed trap at 316km/h, with only Renault coming close.
He predicts that this, a bunched-up grid and fresh tyres at the start of the race will see many overtaking moves.
