Categories: F1 News, Reports and Race ResultsMercedes

Tension disappears after first qualifying - Lowe

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Mercedes' executive director (technical) Paddy Lowe says qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix will bring an end to a build-up of tension for the teams.

Following dominant back-to-back champions, Mercedes remains the team to beat in 2016 after showing impressive reliability and pace throughout the eight days of pre-season testing. Lowe, however, says there is tension which has built up over testing and he looks forward to getting a definitive answer of where Mercedes stands during qualifying on Saturday.

"Innovation drives us forward - and it's clear to see on our car that nobody in the team is resting on their laurels," Lowe said. "But while we were pleased with our performance in Barcelona, we have no definite sense of how we measure up relative to the competition. This creates tension - but mainly excitement to see where we stand.

"The first qualifying session of the year is, for me, the most exciting hour of the whole Formula One calendar. This is where you get your final exam marks for all the hard work over the many months needed to put together a new car. It's the first time we see all of the cars and drivers on the limit - gloves off, flat out.

"Once you get through qualifying and see where you stand, good or bad, a lot of that winter tension is relieved and translated into plans for the future. Whether it's maintaining a gap or closing on a target ahead, the objective becomes clear."

Lowe previously told F1i he feels the Mercedes aerodynamic team has "come out on top" compared to its rivals in terms of coming up with new innovations this season.

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.