In changeable conditions, teams sometimes use spotters stationed at the edges of the circuit to monitor the weather and report rain so that tyres can be changed at the right moment. But Mercedes decided to send one off-track.
The idea was hatched on Thursday at St Kilda Beach in Melbourne, where the team was holding a sponsor event. It was discovered that many of the clouds were coming from the south-east, so Mercedes sent a “weather spy” there on Sunday. After the race, the team thanked him for his work.
“We are grateful to the team member working on the beach at St Kilda who kept us informed of the intensity and direction of the approaching rain, allowing us to switch to intermediate tyres at the right time,” a team spokesman said.
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