The 271 seconds that should worry Mercedes' rivals
We're not used to bullish statements from Mercedes, so a comment from one of the four-time reigning Formula 1 champion team's senior figures should have its rivals preparing to play catch-up
Formula 1 teams know that in a championship where they face the media spotlight so much, it's always better to under-promise and over-deliver. Being too cocky only ever comes back to haunt you.
British American Racing never really made up for designer Adrian Reynard's bold aim to win its first race. Ron Dennis was never allowed to forget his conviction that he would have no problems taming Juan Pablo Montoya like a "stallion".
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Jonathan Noble is Motorsport.com’s Formula 1 editor. Having graduated from University of Sussex Jonathan worked for sports news agency Collings Sports reporting on F1, F3, touring cars and other sports, with articles appearing in The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, Reuters, Autosport and other publications. In 1999 he moved to Haymarket Publishing to become a senior editor at Autosport Special Projects, and one year later he became Autosport’s grand prix editor. In 2015 he moved to Motorsport Network, becoming the F1 editor for Motorsport.com. He is also a member of the Guild of Motoring Writers, and sits on the FIA Media Council.
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