The potential of the Mercedes is a threat to Red Bull in the 2022 title race
Helmut Marko did not cross Mercedes off the list of competitors and even worries about the potential of their cars.
Although 3rd in the championship with a 101-point deficit behind Red Bull, Mercedes still worries the Austrian team. Helmut Marko still sees the W13 as dangerous due to the fast laps it can offer, and Max Verstappen’s 41 and 75-point leads over George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, respectively, are not enough.
« Mercedes has had impressive first laps in testing and also in races, whether it’s Hamilton or Russell. Not consistently, so it’s difficult for us to interpret where this fast lap comes from. And even by listening carefully to the people from Mercedes, I don’t think they know either. But what is dangerous is that the potential seems to be there. And once this potential is unleashed over a race distance, they will be at our level, or even ahead of us.
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Regarding Mercedes’ potential bluff about their speed since the beginning of the season, he explains: (e) No, it’s not bluffing. The bluffing was when they had that advantage with Lewis’ engine last year – that’s when they were actually bluffing. » Helmut Marko is referring to the highly performance Mercedes engine last year that was not at its full potential during every testing session. However, this season, the car’s consistency is faltering. (e) They were the fastest on the track at one point, but it doesn’t last. Currently, they can’t always maintain that same speed during the race, that’s – thank God – their big problem, I would say. »
