“On paper, the Mercedes is a winning car”– F1 bosses are beware of Mercedes resurgence ahead of Azerbaijan GP

F1 bosses think the Mercedes W13 is a bold innovative car which also has the potential to win races but it has its own limitations not for long.

In 2022, Mercedes made its weakest start to their season in the turbo-hybrid era. The Silver Arrows is far from being the dominant force they used to be, and Red Bull and Ferrari have taken over the championship battle.

However, Mercedes is still full of that skilful team of engineers. But limitations like budget caps aren’t allowing them to splash the cash on the development and be back at the top.

Still, the fundamentals of the W13 are great as professed by team bosses of other teams. Aston Martin’s Andy Green and Mclaren’s James Key are certainly impressed by the car, and they see it as a piece of machinery which can win races on its day.

“On paper, the Mercedes is a winning car. It has huge potential. But you also have to make it work on the track,” said Key as per the AMuS. Meanwhile, Key is impressed by his counterparts at Mercedes.

“The Mercedes is unique, once again different from our old concept, although the side boxes were also very slim for us. It’s a very smart approach,” said Key.

“I take my hat off to the Mercedes colleagues that they dared to do such a thing. This car works in a completely different way than the rest.”

Also read: Lewis Hamilton criticizes other F1 drivers for lack of effort in promoting diversity

Where does Mercedes W13 lack?

Mercedes has the most unconventional design on the grid. But the car earlier had issues with porpoising which made them lose pace on the straights.

With new floor upgrades in Spain, that issue seems to be minimized. But right now, according to AMuS, it has a small setup window to optimize its car’s performance.

#F1: AMuS says experts agree that if the W13 works, it is a winning car. But in order to win everywhere, the setup window must grow larger. Baku should show whether the car is taking a step in the right direction.

— deni (@fiagirly) June 9, 2022

If Mercedes goes high rake, they lose massively on the downforce, which as per their wind-tunnel was impressive. And if they go with the low rake, they will be losing car control. Seeing, that Azerbaijan GP has some tightest corners, Mercedes can’t compromise on control.

Therefore, the race in Baku is the litmus test for Mercedes’ efforts in development so far in the season. Will they manage to pull themselves back up is remained to be seen.

Also read: Azerbaijan Grand Prix Live Stream, Telecast 2022 and F1 schedule- When and where to watch the race at Baku Street Circuit?

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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