Mercedes fears Red Bull in Spain and Ferrari for the title

The return of Formula 1 to Europe marks the second start of a season made special by the shift in technological era. In this regard, the Barcelona circuit will be an opportunity, due to its characteristics, to assess the single-seaters on various aspects, particularly aerodynamic efficiency.

A Red Bull RB10 better in terms of downforce?

As such, Lewis Hamilton, second in the championship and winner of the last three Grand Prix, believes that the Catalan track will perfectly suit the Red Bull: [Barcelona] has always been a circuit where you can really test the car. It is an aerodynamic downforce circuit, so it will be good to see where we really stand. […] I truly think that the Red Bull has more downforce than us, maybe a little more, so we can improve, he confides to The Independent.

« We are not resting on our laurels; we know there is more work to be done. We are faster on the straights, but the Red Bull is very, very fast in the high-speed [corners], which leads me to say they might have more downforce than us, » he continues for Autosport.

Same sentiment from Toto Wolff, executive director of Mercedes, who explains to approach Catalonia with caution: « I am not afraid of this race, but we approach it with a lot of respect. Catalunya will show how good our car really is, because we are racing on a Red Bull track. [Their] progress in recent races has been extraordinary, so Catalunya will be a true benchmark for everyone. »

Ferrari, the real threat for the title

For the Austrian technician, however, the opponents to watch are numerous. When asked who would be the biggest threat for the title, he answers: « I think it will be Ferrari. »

He relies in particular on the fact that, like the Mercedes team itself, the Scuderia can jointly manage the chassis and the hybrid V6 turbo: « They are the only other team to have everything: car and power unit. And I acknowledge that Alonso is a real monster in racing who can achieve anything. »

Overall, he is under no illusion that the prosperous period the star brand is experiencing may not last: « We all know it will become tighter and more difficult for us. If you look at Red Bull during the initial tests in Jerez and where they have come back from, they have really made impressive progress. And Ferrari has shown excellent form recently. So, nothing is guaranteed. »

Currently, Mercedes is leading the constructors’ championship with 154 points, compared to 57 for Red Bull, in second place, and 52 for Ferrari, in fourth. The German team has secured all four pole positions and won all four races held this season.