Mercedes understand that it does not enjoy any dominance in Formula 1 over Red Bull this year. Nonetheless, the team managed to defeat RB at season opening in Bahrain Grand Prix.
German car manufacturer opted for a forceful approach aligned with Lewis Hamilton driving style. He managed tyres splendidly and defensive driving style helped him in keeping Max Verstappen at bay.
Mercedes had a troubling pre-season testing but it managed to win on Sunday at Sakhir. But the team is in no doubt that it needs to find advantage over other team like previous seasons.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes trackside engineering director, said: “We don’t really have any strengths relative to them.
“We’ve had a lot of years where we’ve been able to rely on straight-line speed, or high-speed cornering or interconnecting corners. But you look at it here and we weren’t taking any time out of them anywhere.
“There were a couple of corners where they really took chunks out of us in qualifying: the high-speed and also Turn 9/10, they were very strong there.
“And that’s really the main thing. In qualifying we’re just bang on their pace in our best corners and they’re quicker in the others. So we need a faster car, as simple as that.”
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Mercedes has enjoyed a dominant era during hybrid regime. But it has been challenged multiple time for championship titles.
In 2018, Mercedes could not managed to out-run other teams at podium until Baku. It faced strong competition by Ferrari and Red Bull.
Shovlin believes that balance of performance between the teams is demanding and it triggered an amazing 2021 campaign.
“We’ve had some tough years in the past few seasons, this is not alien to us and is what we’ve got to work with,” he said. “It’s two teams that look to be pretty much neck and neck at the moment. I think it’s going to be a tough year.
“There’s no doubt Red Bull operate really well. They’re a sharp, well-focused team that don’t make many mistakes. Max is clearly a very mature, very smart racer now and he’s difficult – and they develop well.
“They’ve shown over every season they’ve got the capacity to put a lot of performance on the car. So, regardless of the start point, this is not going to be an easy championship. It’s going to be tight and it’s one we’re not going to give up on. And they’re going to tell you the same.”
