Mercedes shocked the Formula 1 world with an outstanding performance to finish one-two at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It was a performance that very few expected considering their struggles since the summer break – where they have looked like a fish out of water at times.
Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were the clear classes of the field and were the only two drivers not to suffer from graining during the race.
For a team that has been the fourth-best over the year, Mercedes’ advantage represented a surprise showing, but one that had its reasons.
Helmut Marko claims Mercedes performance due to ‘special’ cold conditions
Towards the end of November, Las Vegas isn’t the warmest place on earth at night – reflected by single-figure temperatures.
It was cold enough to see drivers wearing coats before the race, and doing everything they could to keep warm – a contrast from the Middle Eastern desert races they face over the next two weeks.
The Mercedes appears to come alive in these colder conditions, while virtually every other car suffers from tyre warm-up and graining issues.
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Speaking to oe24.at, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed that the reason the Silver Arrows performed so well was down to the conditions only.
“To do that, they have to find consistency. In Las Vegas, there were special conditions due to the low temperatures.
“Let’s wait and see if they also perform in the last two races, which I don’t think. Hopefully, we will win at least one race.”
Will Mercedes be as poor as Marko expects in Qatar and Abu Dhabi?
While both races are held at night, temperatures will still be very balmy and around the mid-20s for the final two races of the season.
Nearly triple that seen on the west coast of the United States means that the tide will probably completely turn again this weekend.
McLaren suffered an unusually poor weekend, which Lando Norris said was a ‘six-year’ problem and something they won’t face in a warmer climate.
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Red Bull didn’t show the impressive pace they had in Brazil, and you can always expect four-time champion Max Verstappen to be on pace.
Finally, Mercedes’ car just doesn’t like the warmer conditions – races they’ve won this year include the British and Belgian Grands Prix, which were held in cooler climates.
So in other words, do not be surprised if Marko’s predictions turn out to be correct, particularly on the evidence of the season so far.
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