“Their problems are real”- F1 media doyen Will Buxton claims that Mercedes seems to be the lowest they ever have been in the past eight years.
Mercedes had some conspicuous issues during the pre-season testing in Bahrain, as constant gearbox and floor balance issues prevented them from having an ideal mileage.
Will Buxton, Formula 1’s reporter, has given his verdict on Mercedes, and he claims that they seem to be at a real low, and their problems look genuine instead of sandbagging.
“I can’t remember the last time I had these guys anywhere but on top before the start of the season,” he says in his vlog on Youtube. “But Mercedes are second at the moment if you look at the competitive rankings.”
“Given the problems they had during the winter test, you could even place them lower. from what I’ve seen and heard, their problems are real.”
New floor guidelines are not compatible with Mercedes
Buxton then points out that Mercedes reputation is so high; therefore, it is hard to digest their problems. But the new floor regulations doesn’t suit them.
“To make the most of the new floor guidelines, you have to use a lean angle (rake) which Mercedes are not used to. That is said to give them a lot of headaches, and it will cost them some time in that case,” said Buxton.
Buxton is not dismissing Mercedes chances but doesn’t see them as favourites either, contrary to most of the opinions, where they claim that the Brackley based team will eventually bounce back.
Red Bull is not even ready to see themselves as the favourites yet, with their star driver Max Verstappen accusing them of doing sandbagging this year.
Toto Wolff has so far been calm about it and is looking for the challenge this pre-season testing has brought them.
