“With Mercedes, it seems to be a big issue”- Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta reveal what they find wrong with the current Mercedes.
After the pre-season testing and the two poor practice sessions, Mercedes are not getting any delightful feedbacks from the F1 experts, but nothing concrete could be said before Saturday’s qualifying.
But Jenson Button and Paul Di Resta have found issues with Mercedes and are convinced that they are actually struggling ahead of the 2021 season.
“Until now and also during the test days, Red Bull seemed to be able to deal with the wind the best,” Button told Sky Sports F1. “In the past, it has clearly been Mercedes who have had the most stable car, but Red Bull seem to have taken a big step forward.”
“The Red Bull car looks very stable, while the Mercedes car still left a delicate impression in Friday’s practice sessions.”
Same sentiments by Paul Di Resta
Di Resta also has target faults in Mercedes and claims that the new technical changes are not suiting the Brackley-based team’s interests and affecting the new W12.
“Some teams are less affected by the forced change to the floor than others,” Di Resta stated. “With Mercedes, for example, it seems to be a big issue and don’t forget that this year’s new tyres play a big role.”
“During the Friday sessions, it also became clear to me how exciting qualifying will be on Saturday.” Both men did agree that the fans are in for an exciting qualifying session.
“The wind plays a big role on the Bahrain circuit,” Button stated. “Especially on Saturday and Sunday, the teams and drivers will have a lot of trouble.”
“Not only at the front, but also in the middle, the field has come much closer together,” Di Resta said. “The whole field has really become much more competitive, and that’s going to have a big impact on qualifying.”
“It was already a challenge to get into the Q3 section, and that challenge is only going to get bigger this year. I think the competitive field will give us a great qualifying session with a lot of surprises!”