“I think they will be dead last”– Max Verstappen makes a dig at Mercedes for their alleged sandbagging

Tanish Chachra | 18/03/2022
"I think they will be dead last"– Max Verstappen makes a dig at Mercedes for their alleged sandbagging

Max Verstappen makes a sarcastic comment over Mercedes’ prospects this year as the Brackley based team accused of sandbagging once again.

The F1 season is right upon us, and despite the 23 races yet to go, everybody knows who will be at the top spots. Mercedes is among those presumed sides.

However, during the pre-season testing in Bahrain, Mercedes claims their side is not that good, and they are struggling to make a competitive car.

But nobody is digesting that, as the current world champions are known for publically underselling themselves. And right into the season, they are the best team.

During the Bahrain Grand Prix press conference, Max Verstappen made a sarcastic comment on their rivals when asked about their prospects in 2022.

“I think they will be dead last!” said Verstappen on Friday. “According to their comments, I think they have an awful car. And they have that already since 2017 in pre-season testing.”

Also read: Carlos Sainz says that Max Verstappen has returned from the winter break in good shape

Mercedes see itself at the setback

Throughout the preseason testing, Mercedes rated Red Bull and Ferrari higher. The Brackley based team insists that they are having huge problems with porpoising. Therefore, they are having issues in development.

Moreover, Lewis Hamilton even claimed that it would be tough to have their car on four wheels before the race. He admitted that his team was guilty of sandbagging in the previous year, but he adds that the issues are authentic this time.

Max Verstappen for the win?

Many F1 experts, including David Croft, claim that Mercedes isn’t sandbagging and have genuine problems this time. However, he also asserted that we’d see a different Mercedes within six races.

So, even if Mercedes is saying the truth, who are the genuine contenders for Bahrain? Keeping aside, Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull have impressed everyone.

So, would it be safe to say that the current world champion will have his hands over the season’s first race? That is remained to be seen on Sunday.

Also read: Red Bull boss Christian Horner does not want the budget cap to get much lower than it is in 2022

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
Max Verstappen Mercedes Red Bull

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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