Mercedes does not want to win all the races
For Niki Lauda, Mercedes has no interest in continuing their string of successes and will eventually have to face a comeback from competitors. Gérard Lopez doesn't necessarily share this view.
Mercedes began the season by winning all the races, setting all the fastest laps, leading all the laps, and securing all the pole positions in the first four Grand Prix. The drivers of the brand with the star achieved three one-two finishes in four rounds. The only blemish was Lewis Hamilton’s retirement at the Australian Grand Prix. No other car among the most legendary in F1 had achieved such a start to the season, whether it be the McLaren MP4-4 of 1988, the Williams FW14C of 1992, or the Ferrari F2004 of 2004.
But for Niki Lauda, non-executive director of Mercedes, too much dominance from his team would not be desirable: “We do not want to win all the races. That would really not be good for Formula 1,” he stated to Blick.
If he considers it logical that the work done by the star firm allows it to be dominant, he expects competitors to come back: « What we are doing today is reaping the fruit of all these months of work, especially in the field of turbo engines. But we do not think that the situation is normal. Our competitors will certainly become stronger. »
On the Lotus side, optimism is not the order of the day regarding this situation. Thus, Gérard Lopez, the director of the British team, thinks that Mercedes will have no trouble repeating its hegemonic performances: « They will continue to achieve their doubles, » he stated to Auto Motor und Sport.
He takes the opportunity to assess the competition: « Red Bull has also made significant progress, so it will be difficult. But behind them, it’s interesting. Ferrari has good results thanks to Fernando. Williams’ advantage is due to the engine, but Force India has a good car; otherwise, they wouldn’t be third in the championship. Obviously, there are many factors, but I think we can fight with these teams. »
