Mercedes rep emphasizes crucial role of tires for Azerbaijan GP qualifying

Mercedes team representative Bradley Lord stated that much depends on tire performance during the qualifying session for the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Report informs, citing F1News.

"In Baku, much depends on the tires. If they are not in the right operating window, you will lose more time in qualifying because of this than you could gain from a slipstream. You cannot control what is uncontrollable. Optimum tire temperature and precision in the corners are valued more highly here than the aerodynamic effect of a slipstream. That is what we need to focus on, and if we manage to catch a tow behind another car on a flying lap, it will be a bonus," Lord noted.

The qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is scheduled to begin on Saturday at 15:55 (GMT+4).