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Mercedes relying on developments to close gap

ESPNF1 Staff
March 19, 2010 « Lauda tips Schumacher for Malaysia breakthorugh | »
Updates to the Mercedes are planned over the next few races © Getty Images
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Mercedes has a development plan to close the gap to Red Bull and Ferrari over the next few races according to team principal Ross Brawn.

Its drivers Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher finished fifth and sixth at the season opener in Bahrain and were both over a second off the pace of Sebastian Vettel's Red Bull in qualifying. Brawn admitted the car is not competitive enough to challenge at the front and said he is pinning his hopes on an upgrade package over the next few races to make a difference.

"The team did a good job in Bahrain but we accept that we were not competitive enough and that we have work to do to close the gap to the leaders," he said. "I was very pleased with the performance of Nico and Michael and the way that they worked together to provide clear and consistent feedback to develop the car over the weekend. Whilst our car is fundamentally strong, we have a development plan in place for the next few races which should bring the required performance improvements to compete at the front."

Earlier this week Rosberg said he felt Mercedes could challenge for a podium finish at the next race in Australia, while Schumacher is hoping to draw on his past successes to give him an edge in Melbourne.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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