The sacrifice Mercedes made in Bahrain to find an extra edge for 2021
Mercedes topped the times in opening practice in Bahrain, but at the same time it made a decision that leaves it with some catching up to do on race pace and car set-up this weekend that is likely to give it an extra advantage in preparation for next year
Unusually for the opening practice day of a grand prix, the two 90-minute sessions in Bahrain on Friday were lively from the off and the teams kept piling on the laps.
This was down to the mandatory running the teams were required to complete on the 2021 prototype tyres Pirelli has produced and brought along to the final races of the current campaign.
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