Mercedes confirm tactic to trick Ferrari and Vettel in Baku Grand Prix

Mercedes strategy chief James Vowles has confirmed that the Silver Arrows successfully pulled off a plan to trick Sebastian Vettel into taking an unfavourable track position in qualifying for Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Silver Arrows sent drivers out at the end of Q3 to provoke Ferrari driver into following them but then had the pair pull over at the pit lane exit while Vettel went by, leaving him on his own at the head of the field. "In qualifying the effect of the tow is very significant. In Baku, this effect is very extreme,” said Vowles. "It's around about four-tenths of a second in Baku, so a significant enough amount that you can or cannot be on a pole as a result of it. Over the last few races you've seen almost a Mexican standoff in the pit lane, everyone has their engine fired up and everyone's looking at each other but who are going to go out first.  In Shanghai, you saw that we left very late and other cars weren't able to do their lap because they were so keen on getting the tow that the [final] flag came before they started their lap. In Baku we were very conscious of this effect could well dictate whether you were on the pole or not.” This practice had a huge impact on the segment as it gave Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas each a tow, which the Finn used to take pole and win the GP. Meanwhile, Vettel ran in clear air and could only qualify third. "What we decided to do therefore is send our cars out a little bit earlier which would pull the whole train of cars behind us – that worked – and then do a practice start, simply so that we did not end up at the front of the queue because we felt the effect was so powerful,” Vowles added.  "This is taking enormous risks and indeed we only crossed the line several seconds before the flag as a result of this. “Whilst most of the initial reaction has been centred around the team and the elaborate planning that must have gone into such a high-pressure scheme, Vowles was quick to put the praise back onto both of the drivers.  For them, it's very difficult. You're asking them to break up what is the normal routine of going out for Qualifying 3, a very high-pressure situation, and doing something different. They understood exactly what was required of them and they did a fantastic job."

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