Red Bull vs Mercedes, the game of intoxication
Just ahead of the first Grand Prix of the season, Christian Horner and Toto Wolff are back and forth in the media about their respective teams' supposed status as favourites.
The start of the season is imminent and one question is on everyone’s mind: Has Red Bull caught up with Mercedes? The trend is there before the first laps in Bahrain this Friday at noon for the start of the FP1. For once, winter testing has been in favor of Red Bull and not Mercedes.
In Sakhir two weeks ago Red Bull looked comfortable while Mercedes was bogged down in setup and reliability issues. But is this enough to reshuffle the cards at the front of the pack?
Christian Horner cautious
Aware of his team’s progress, Christian Horner speaks about the prevailing confidence at Red Bull after what was observed during the tests.
The team principal explains during an interview available on the official Red Bull website. « It is undeniable that after the smooth progress of the three test days in Bahrain, there seems to be excitement about the prospect of ending Mercedes’ seven-year domination in F1. »
Despite this observation, Horner remains nevertheless clear-sighted and cautious about the challenges that the team will have to face for the upcoming season.
We had a debrief with the team after the tests and we are a little more cautious on the subject, we cannot underestimate the size of the challenge ahead of us.
About their rivals at Mercedes, he adds: “Mercedes is trying to step away from the spotlight, which is part of the game” before reminding their status in the competition: “but the reality is that they are seven-time world champions and it is up to us to narrow this gap.”
Horner then draws a parallel with the fairly similar situation in 2019 where Mercedes seemed to have problems in pre-season… then disappeared after the first race. Mercedes remains a quality team. They are motivated to come back stronger. We saw it a few years ago when there was a similar story in pre-season (ed. note: 2019) to eventually win the first race in Melbourne.
Christian Horner: « after the tests, we are a little more cautious on the subject. We cannot underestimate the size of the challenge ahead of us. »
Find the editorial analysis on the Red Bull vs Mercedes duel.
Toto Wolff points out Mercedes’ difficulties.
During the winter testing, Mercedes has apparently opted for a higher fuel load than average. This could partly explain the difficulties encountered.
Interrogated by the Austrian media ORF at the beginning of the week, Toto Wolff shared his feelings.
« We have been very successful in recent years, so now everyone thinks we are hiding the true speed of the car.
The Mercedes team principal adds: “I believe that our team has worked with a lot of fuel but the car is still difficult to control and unstable.”
Like Horner, Wolff also draws a parallel with the behavior of the W10 in 2019 without mentioning that these issues have been quickly resolved.
« Apparently, the car is a little diva like two years ago. We have not yet understood its behavior and to make matters worse, the tests only lasted a few days.
« We have a few problems to resolve, so we are a little less well prepared this season than in previous ones.
On the German media n-tv, he specifies, “The tests were not as we imagined and the first race will clearly not be easy but that does not mean that we cannot be better than we were for the following races.”
Toto Wolff: (en) apparently, the car is a bit of a diva like it was two years ago. (fr)
After words, it’s time for action! The first element of response will come this Sunday, March 28, during the first race of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
