Shovlin thinks overtaking at Istanbul is harder than expected

Andrew Shovlin reveals that making overtaking maneuvers at Istanbul Park is not that easy.

Why it matters: Lewis Hamilton has got a 10-place grid penalty for engine change this weekend.

Details:

• Shovlin reveals that the data from free practices does not show what they want in terms of overtaking.
• The Mercedes trackside engineering director admits that the team needs Valtteri Bottas to get the pole position and the race win.

What he had to say:

• “Overtaking is pretty hard. It’s often a bit more difficult in the free practice sessions because you don’t run long stints on the tyres. You don’t get differences in degradation building up.”
• “So on that side, today’s indications are probably it’s a bit tougher than we would like. But you don’t always get what you want.”
• “As much as the drivers’ championship draws everyone’s focus towards what is going on with Lewis, with Valtteri [Bottas], the objective is quite clear that we need to get pole and we want to win the race.”