Ferrari half a second quicker on straights in F1 qualifying - Mercedes
Toto Wolff says Mercedes lost out to Ferrari by half a second just on the straights in Formula 1 qualifying at Hockenheim, which he described as "a severe warning"

Ferrari has shown impressive pace since its latest power unit upgrade was introduced in Canada, and the form of customer teams Haas and Sauber has provided further evidence of the step that has been made.
Sebastian Vettel took pole for the German Grand Prix, ahead of Valtteri Bottas, who managed to outpace the second Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen.
"I've heard Christian [Horner] complaining the last four years about straightline speed, so I don't want to go there," said Wolff when asked about Ferrari's advantage.
"But as a matter of fact it's where we lost out today. They have a great power unit, a huge performance.
"We were looking good through all kinds of corners, but we're not able to match their straight-line performance.
"Valtteri was exceptional in the third sector, this is why we were close to pole position. We just have to look at things and try to improve."
Asked about Lewis Hamilton's earlier assertion that Mercedes was losing three-tenths on the Hockenheim straights, Wolff said: "To be precise, it was five-tenths, on the straights.

"We need to find out how we can increase out power output, and not one single second I want to look at Ferrari, I want to look at ourselves, look at Mercedes and say 'is there anything we have missed?'
"If we want to win this championship, or stay in the hunt in this championship, we've got a severe warning today in terms of what we have seen."
Wolff said he was impressed by Ferrari's "exceptional" development, and noted that Raikkonen still has the old spec V6 in his car - which means the performance must be coming from other areas.
The legality of Ferrari's hybrid system has been the subject of considerable debate, and F1 race director Charlie Whiting and other FIA representatives visited the Mercedes motorhome today to discuss power unit issues.
However, Wolff insisted that discussion was just "regular business" that happened to be taking place on a race weekend.
"It's very important from the mindset you need to have, to say 'What can we do in order to achieve that power output?' rather than looking over and saying, 'it's not legal'," he added.
"We are in a situation that we are looking at ourselves, how can we achieve that, and if we cannot achieve it, how can somebody else achieve it?"

Previous article
Williams F1 team traces cause of Silverstone qualifying disaster
Next article
Sauber F1 team's owners targeting fourth place in 2019

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Teams | Ferrari , Mercedes |
Author | Adam Cooper |
Ferrari half a second quicker on straights in F1 qualifying - Mercedes
Trending
Albert Park Circuit Modifications Project
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team: Bahrain GP Race Debrief
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says NIGEL ROEBUCK
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of car-racing titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Are we at peak F1 right now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How crucial marginal calls will decide the Red Bull vs Mercedes battle in F1 2021
The longer Red Bull can maintain a performance edge over Mercedes, the better the odds will be in the team’s favour against the defending world champions. But as the Bahrain Grand Prix showed, many more factors will be critical in the outcome of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle
The nightmare timing that now hinders Mercedes
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton took victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix despite, for a change, not having the quickest car. But any hopes of developing its W12 to surpass Red Bull's RB16B in terms of outright speed could not have come at a worse time.
How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his team-mate's F1 career climb
Kimi Raikkonen’s emergence as a Formula 1 star in his rookie campaign remains one of the legendary storylines from 2001, but his exploits had an unwanted impact on his Sauber team-mate’s own prospects. Twenty years on from his first F1 podium at the Brazilian GP, here’s how Nick Heidfeld’s career was chilled by the Iceman