“Mercedes also has a fundamental problem”– Ralph Schumacher reveals that Mercedes has a massive tyre management problem.
Mercedes has not won any of the last three races and is now slowly lagging behind their biggest competitors this year– Red Bull in the constructors’ championship.
Former F1 driver Ralph Schumacher in his opinion article with the Skysports has revealed that Mercedes has a fundamental problem with the tyres.
“In the end, Hamilton’s in-lap was the decisive factor for Verstappen’s victory. It was two seconds slower. Hamilton will have to look again to see why that was the case.”
“After that, he could have driven faster. But despite multiple attacks, he did not come by. So he also damaged his tires a bit, of course, was a shame.”
“If Lewis stayed ahead after the stop, I don’t think Red Bull could have won with the undercut strategy. Mercedes has now been without a win for three races.”
“The new construction or the aerodynamic situation didn’t really help the team this year. That means: this much-cited angle of attack, which is much higher at Red Bull, plays a major role.”
“However, Mercedes also has a fundamental problem in finding the tire’s grip window. Even at Le Castellet, where the asphalt temperature was 50 degrees Celsius, Hamilton would have needed a warm-up lap in qualifying.”
“This shows that you are not using the tire optimally and that you have problems accordingly.”
Valtteri Bottas’ with his disappointing performances
Schumacher has specifically shown his disappointment with Valtteri Bottas’ underwhelming performances, as the Finn failed to register any points in the last two races before traveling to France.
“The subject of Valtteri Bottas will also continue to play a role at Mercedes. Valtteri obviously had a good weekend. But when it comes down to it, when it is needed, it makes mistakes again and slows down.”
“He also seems to wear out the tires faster than Hamilton. It’s just not good enough, especially not when you’re driving a World Cup against a strong opponent like Red Bull.”
“It’s a new situation for Mercedes because they haven’t had any real opponents in recent years. And of course, every mistake is a big problem.”
