“I think they just need to figure out a few things” – Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz expect Mercedes to rise back to the top soon enough

Samriddhi Jaiswal | 20/03/2022
"I think they just need to figure out a few things" - Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz expect Mercedes to rise back to the top soon enough

Max Verstappen is sure that it is only a matter of time before Mercedes finds a solution to the issues in their car.

Mercedes had been saying for a long time that they have problems with their car and they might not win the first race of the season but no one believed them. However, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is sure that it is like a hit and miss for the Brackley based team and they will find a solution soon.

No one wanted to believe Mercedes given their history of sandbagging every season before the first race. But it turns out that they were not bluffing this time.

Lewis Hamilton could only manage to qualify in the fifth position on Saturday while his teammate George Russell finished at ninth. Meanwhile, Ferrari and Red Bull locked the front and the second row for the first race of the 2022 season.

Mercedes’ biggest problem is the uncontrollable porpoising that the car is suffering on the straights. But given the team’s dominant history, the rivals are sure that it is only a matter of time before Mercedes comes up with a solution.

Verstappen admitted that it is clear that the W13 is bouncing a lot and it is not easy to drive but it’s a bit like a hit and is for them.

He explained that sometimes the car can do a decent lap and other times it is a bit more difficult to find the balance. So, they just need to figure a few things out.

He said, “I think if they can figure out that package can be really quick.”

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton vows to make life hard for those ahead of him in the Bahrain GP

Max Verstappen says Mercedes develop their car quickly

Furthermore, drawing on his experience from last year, Verstappen said that he knows how quickly Mercedes developed their car.

He said, “it feels nice to be ahead at the moment but I also know from last year, how quickly they can develop a car. And actually, at one point, it was very difficult to beat that car.”

“So, things can change really quickly and especially with new regulations as well. You know, I think there are still a lot of unknown areas in the car where you suddenly can find a lot of performance.

The Dutchman explained that it is good for now but he sure expects Mercedes to work very hard to close the gap.

Moreover, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz agrees with the Dutchman and believes that the Brackley based team will recover soon.

” I strongly believe that they will get themselves back in the mix. They are a great team, and they will be back fighting with us.

“So, we need to keep an eye on them and keep fighting with our development because this year, their rate of development is going to be huge,” said Sainz.

Also Read: Former F1 champion thinks Mercedes fear Bahrain embarrassment after underwhelming qualifying

Post Edited By: Samriddhi Jaiswal
carlos sainz ferrari Lewis Hamilton Max Verstappen Mercedes Red Bull

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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