Tim Merceders Yakin Bisa Taklukkan Sirkuit Sepang di Seri F1 GP Malaysia

Bos tim Mercedes Formula 1, Toto Wolff, mengatakan telah bersiap berlomba di Sirkuit Sepang, Malaysia, yang akan digelar 29 September sampai 1 Oktober 2017. 

Tidak hanya mengatakan telah siap berlomba, Wolff juga merasa sangat yakin Mercedes  bisa menaklukkan GP Malaysia menyusul hasil baik pekan lalu.

Pebalap Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, menjadi yang tercepat pada balapan Formula 1 GP Singapore yang telah dihelat di Sirkuit Marina Bay, Minggu (17/9/2017).

Hamilton menjadi nomor satu setelah mengungguli pebalap lain seperti Daniel Ricciardo (kedua) dan Valtteri Bottas (ketiga).

Sikap optimistis yang ditunjukkan oleh Wolf terjadi lantaran didukung pula oleh sponsor Mercedes yang berasal dari Malaysia, Petronas.

"Ini akan menjadi akhir pekan dengan resonansi yang hebat untuk Mercedes. Kami memiliki hubungan yang sangat dekat dengan Malaysia, berkat teman-teman kita di Petronas," kata Wolff dikutip BolaSport.com dari Fox Sports Asia.

(Baca Juga: Inilah Alasan Tim Toro Rosso Mengganti Pebalapnya Menjelang Balapan F1 GP Malaysia)

Wolff menambahkan, perlombaan di GP Malaysia akan memberi banyak momen dan drama untuk mencapai kemenangan Mercedes.

"Rekor Mercedes di sana dalam beberapa balapan terakhir sangat baik. Karakteristik sirkuit telah menyatu dengan mobil Mercedes," kata Wolf.

 

“The result in Singapore came as a surprise for us all - and the danger of a result like that is to misjudge your own level of performance. But within the team, our focus since finishing first and third has been on the painful moments of the Singapore weekend - why we struggled in the long runs on Friday and our lack of performance over one lap in qualifying - to learn as much as possible for the rest of the season. We have deepened our understanding of those problems and we will take that learning with us into the final races. The last race was a strong reminder that sport always has the power to surprise and defy all predictions. We have been on the receiving end of those bad moments before, and we know that they can happen as easily to us as anybody else. The result in Singapore doesn't change anything in terms of how we approach the final six races, beginning this weekend in Malaysia. We will need to be at the top of our game on every track if we want to maintain our lead in both championships to the end of the season. The first challenge, of course, is Malaysia. This will be a weekend with great resonance for us: we have a very close relationship with the country, thanks to our friends at PETRONAS, and the race has given us many moments of drama and glory over the years. Our record there in recent seasons has been mixed but the fundamental characteristics of the circuit, with its sweeping corners and long straights, should mean the car is well-suited to the circuit. The weather conditions are challenging for the cars, the tyres, the drivers and the team personnel and can often complicate the overall picture; good reliability will be crucial in every aspect of our operations. But it goes without saying that our target is to deliver a winning performance to mark the final Grand Prix at Sepang - and to build on the good momentum we have enjoyed since the summer break.” – Toto Wolff #FormulaOne #Formula1 #F1 #MercedesBenz #Mercedes #AMG #Automotive #Cars #Motorsport #Racing #LewisHamilton #Hamilton #ValtteriBottas #Bottas #MalaysianGP #MalaysiaGP #Malaysia #KualaLumpur #Sepang

A post shared by Mercedes-AMG F1 (@mercedesamgf1) on Sep 25, 2017 at 4:55am PDT

Meski menerangkan timnya akan lebih banyak mendulang keuntungan karena telah akrab dengan sirkuit, Wolff tidak menampik kondisi atau pengaruh di luar mobil.

"Kondisi cuaca juga akan sangat mempengaruhi bagi performa pebalap, mobil, dan tim secara keseluruhan. Ada saat-saat cuaca menjadi faktor yang menyulitkan," tambah Wolf.

Wolf menyebutkan untuk mengatasi hal tersebut, Mercedes sangat bergantung pada kinerja tim untuk memperbaiki setiap komponen pendukung balapan.

Pada balapan di Sirkuit Sepang, Wolf mematok target Mercedes untuk menjadi kampiun.