Mercedes: cracks in the fortress?

Such an underperformance is not at all usual for Mercedes. With only six points scored in Monaco, the German team lost the lead in both championships to Red Bull and Max Verstappen.

One can therefore wonder if the red bull is not starting to become a big stone in the boot of the Etoile. If the Austrian threat grows, the rest of the championship promises to be stressful for the multiple reigning world champions.

No question of messing up

The Brackley team has been overwhelmingly dominating Formula 1 since the introduction of the hybrid era in 2014. No title has escaped them since.

However, Ferrari produced a car much better than the Silver Arrow: in 2017 and 2018, Sebastian Vettel was on par with Lewis Hamilton. Two years with a good start to the season, then the irrevocable sentence: the crash in Singapore and the unfortunate skid in Hockenheim. Hamilton just had to help himself.

Except that this year, it could be very different: Mercedes and its two drivers have every interest in not missing any valuable points. Because Red Bull and Max Verstappen are too close to allow any carelessness. As evidence: the sublime strategy in Barcelona contrasts greatly with the big mistake in Monaco. Miss your qualifications without being able to come back, and the second weapon of Milton Keynes will come at you, in this case Sergio Pérez.

As Brackley can legitimately start ringing the alarm bells: Verstappen is no longer the only one who can compromise their plans, since Pérez is steadily improving on board the RB16B. Therefore, we could expect to see a Hamilton facing two bulls who have eaten Valtteri Bottas. As for the constructors’ standings, Red Bull is now well positioned to dethrone the Stuttgart firm, and its strategists will have a strong interest in racking their brains.

On the drivers’ side, we know that Verstappen is a solid driver. Systematically on the podium this year, consistent and making few errors. In other words, a mistake by Hamilton could cost him much more than in the past.

Finally, interesting fact: Hamilton also showed some signs of nervousness in Monaco: by blaming his team for the failure of the strategy. The seven-time world champion had to understand that very precious points had slipped away from him.

Will Red Bull maintain this pace throughout the season?

This season is the last before Honda bows out of Formula 1 (at least officially). For the occasion, the Tokyo-based brand has spared no expense in waking up all the power of its hybrid V6. After all, why not leave with a world champion title?

However, we can question the reliability of the car: so far, only Pérez has experienced an engine failure, during the first Grand Prix in Bahrain. And even then, he was able to continue. Maybe we should leave some room for doubt for the rest of the season: let’s remember that only 5 Grand Prix have been held. And there are 18 left. A very long season where everyone fears that the Japanese engine might throw a fatal tantrum for the title.

That being said, Red Bull and Honda are well aware that not all risks are acceptable. Thus, the Austro-Japanese duo could play the card of consistency while maintaining a good distance from Mercedes. So far, it’s working: Verstappen is leading the drivers’ championship, Red Bull the constructors’.

If the Bull continues to deliver its regular horn strikes, who knows if it won’t be the Star that will collapse… it is still too early to venture any prediction, but we can’t wait to see what happens next!

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