Mercedes' Grand Prix Edge: Small Improvements, Not Secrets

0:00It's March 26th. This is F1 News today, your AI-powered team coverage. Mercedes drivers have taken every Grand Prix and sprint race when so far this season, heading into round three at the Japanese Grand Prix. McLaren's Oscar Piastry chalks up their strong pace to small improvements in downforce and better power unit handling rather than any big secret. McLaren started the year behind, partly because they missed out on the latest Mercedes engine spec before the Australian Grand Prix. Piastry himself did not start the Chinese Grand Prix due to a battery software glitch, leaving his team to analyze data showing losses in multiple areas. Drivers and teams have buzzed about Mercedes's edge, with Piastry noting they're just a bit quicker overall. He pointed out Ferrari's solid race starts, despite maybe losing some straight line speed, suggesting lessons from both rivals. McLaren's arose over Mercedes' active front wing after video showed it closing in stages

1:00during straight line mode. The FIA investigated and cleared it, ruling the movement fit within the 400 millisecond limit and blaming a hydraulic issue. Piastry downplayed any single trick, saying tiny power unit differences add up fast, even lap to lap or driver to driver. McLaren plans to chase more downforce everywhere as they push to close the gap in Japan.