Mercedes: Too early to be labeled favorites

The first winter tests of the season, held at Jerez de la Frontera, were – as often but even more than usual – scarce in exploitable information. While the problems of Renault and Red Bull were highly visible, the relative tranquility of the Mercedes team seems to be a starting point for most observers to glimpse the beginning of a hierarchy. A situation that the Mercedes team does not fail to temper.

Toto Wolff, executive director of the team, spoke to Autosport about the fact that the star company is already considered a favorite after the Jerez tests: “I think these people should look at the past. Very often, the so-called favorites after the first testing days are not the favorites when the season really starts. It’s too early.”

Despite everything, the Jerez tests were generally positive for the German team, whose only scare was the accident of Lewis Hamilton on the first day, caused by a failure of the front wing mountings of the W05: « I would say that we are satisfied but cautious. We thought we might face more issues with the brand new concept. It seemed tricky on the first day, but in the end, the car seems reliable. »

Not everything is perfect, though: There are always small parts missing and things not working the way we would want. But we are cautious and optimistic, and it seems the guys have done a good job. If the car seems relatively reliable, its performance level remains unknown for now: We cannot yet judge the performance; we are far from it, far from what we think our potential is.

For Toto Wolff, the next test in Bahrain will be more significant, especially for testing the cooling systems of the hybrid blocks: « Even in Jerez, with a rather cold ambient temperature, we faced high levels of temperatures and a cooling challenge. We have seen that for some of our competitors, it is even more important. »

Red Bull, indeed, seemed to be plagued by multiple issues related to engine cooling, to the point that a “makeshift” opening was created on the rear of the sidepods to help dissipate some of the accumulated heat. The Austrian team even ended its tests earlier than expected on Friday, January 31, due to the inability to quickly solve these problems.

Bahrain will certainly be a very interesting new experience in terms of cooling levels. It will be one of the main challenges of the season, concluded Toto Wolff. Two four-day test sessions will take place consecutively in Bahrain: first from February 19 to 22, then from February 27 to March 2. They will, of course, be broadcast live and in full on MotorsInside.