F1 pundit reports Mercedes might be the beneficiary of FIA's latest intervention before the Las Vegas GP

F1 pundit Ted Kravitz mentioned that there were rumors surrounding the paddock that Mercedes F1's surprising performances at the ongoing Las Vegas Grand Prix were down to the FIA technical directive ahead of the weekend. The German team has been the leading performer on the low grip and cold temperatures at Sin City.

The Brackley-based outfit's drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have topped every single session, including the former taking pole position for the main race on Saturday night. Hamilton will be at P10 after failing to put a competitive time in Q3.

Ahead of the weekend in Las Vegas, the sport's governing body released a new technical directive that banned the usage of skid blocks on the floor of the car, which helped reduce the wear on the plank.

As per F1 Oversteer, Sky Sports F1 pundit Ted Kravitz spoke about the rumor that the technical directive helped Mercedes this weekend, saying:

“It just seems to be that the Mercedes is fast. Has the Mercedes benefited from the technical directive about skid blocks, meaning that maybe some teams weren’t able to run their car low? That is a rumor around here.

"The suggestion is that Ferrari are the ones who’ve suffered most from that technical directive. Certainly, their team boss, Fred Vasseur, was the most annoyed about it, but I don’t think we can say definitively.”

Mercedes F1 driver previews his chances of winning the Las Vegas GP

Mercedes F1 driver George Russell stated that the long run pace on the medium and hard tires was "challenging" for the drivers given the graining that they suffered in the FP2 session on Friday night.

In the post-qualifying press conference, the two-time race winner said of his chances on Saturday night:

"Well, I think the long run for everybody has been very challenging on the Medium and the Soft. There's a lot of graining. We saw the same last year, but I expect the Hard tire to be very resilient. But not one single driver has run the Hard tire as yet this whole weekend. So you're going to be learning on the fly.

"But, you know, here in Vegas, anything can happen. It's a long race. There was a timely Safety Car for a number of people last year, and we also saw that last race in Brazil. So, you know, right now I'm very happy, very satisfied, but I'm not taking anything for granted going into tomorrow."

Ferrari was the quickest on the long-run pace in the FP2 session with other teams struggling to match their consistency. However, the German team would have an advantage in terms of the W15's ability to turn on the tires in cold conditions, which could prove to be vital in the race.