Formula 1: Is Mercedes (again) bluffing?

The facts: Since the Barcelona tests, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton do not miss an opportunity to praise the speed of Red Bull and Ferrari, arguing that their two competitors are currently ahead of them. Furthermore, the W13 does not yet seem to have shown much chronometrically speaking. So, the stable of Brackley is she having a complicated start to the season? Or is she bluffing as she often does at this time of year? 

YES, by Valentin Glo

Listening to Lewis Hamilton and especially George Russell, the Mercedes W13 would be very far from the level expected of an eight-time reigning World Champion team. Some even joke about wondering if the second named did the right thing in leaving Williams. All joking aside, this car which caused so much talk in Bahrain for its absence of a pontoon, is it really so far behind Ferrari and Red Bull, as the duo of British drivers want us to believe? A speech not so unusual among the representatives of the Silver Arrows, accustomed to bluffing. Already, last year, Lewis Hamilton expressed his doubts and imagined himself “six or eight tenths behind” the Red Bulls. A delay made up during the week between testing and the first race in Bahrain thanks to “spectacular work”. At the finish of the first round of the 2021 season, it was indeed Hamilton who crossed the line in first position.

The words made by the seven-time world champion in Bahrain this year strangely echo those made a year earlier. “It's still a little early to think about that, but at the moment, I don't think we will fight for victory,” admitted Lewis Hamilton at a press conference. However, the pessimism displayed by the driver is tinged with a note of hope: “There is a certain potential in our car to take us there. We just need to be able to extract that potential and solve some problems, and that's what we're working on. » The famous work at the factory advocated by the person concerned, who always displays blind confidence in his team. Why then should we doubt Mercedes' ability to be at the top, after eight years of domination in the Constructors' Championship?

By crying wolf every year during winter testing, no one believes Mercedes' feigned concern anymore. Even the competition is no longer mistaken. “If it was the first year that they did it, I would perhaps believe them but they have been doing it for 5/6 years and continue to surprise us at the first race,” noted Carlos Sainz, whose Ferrari is tipped as the car to beat for the first race of the year by Hamilton & Co. By making themselves appear weaker than they really are, they reject the inherent pressure of the first meeting of the year on a team which wants more than anything to return to the front.

Does the Mercedes W13 have what it takes to be world champion at the end of the season? © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

NO, by Jérémy Satis

This time, Mercedes might not be bluffing. You will tell me that the Brackley team is rather accustomed to posturing speeches, that it has accustomed us to bluffing as much as Martoni in the City of Fear, and you will be right. But just as much, in previous winters, she had a car that had proven itself the year before to rely on, with a winter job which consisted of improving this base and seeking even more performance, as much this year , Mercedes, like the others, starts from a blank sheet and advances a little according to the compass, without really knowing what to expect in terms of adversity. In terms of times, Mercedes didn't show anything remarkable. Pierre Gasly, who fought with Lewis Hamilton for several laps, said he was surprised to be able to fight for so long with the W13, adding that he saw Lewis “struggling”. 

For me, Mercedes is not bluffing. Firstly because it really doesn't seem sovereign, but also because the only thing Lewis Hamilton really said is that currently, the W13 doesn't have what it takes to compete for victories. . He's not saying in any way that this won't be the case in a month and that he won't be able to challenge for the title. Should we be worried though? No. The race for development, on cars which have not yet revealed all their secrets, will be key in 2022. The car on pole on Saturday or victorious on Sunday will not necessarily be the world champion in Abu Dhabi in just over eight month. And then, remember last year, when Red Bull was showing good form during winter testing, everyone was calling the bluff regarding the level of the Mercedes. Except that in Bahrain, and for most of the year, the Red Bull was the best, and the difficulties encountered by Mercedes in the winter were verified in the race.

The German team is probably the most structured on the field, but they may not get everything right every time. Despite everything, I'm not worried about them, they will be in the match. Maybe not dominant, but certainly not ultra-dominated either. That doesn't mean they're hiding their game. Or at least, no more than the others. I see them gaining strength little by little. As for their speech, putting pressure on the opponents is part of this fool's game which is all the salt of the story. F1. Especially in winter, when everyone is still a potential world champion.

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