In 2017, up to the infamous Singapore Grand Prix, and in 2018 until the Italian GP, Ferrari put Mercedes in great difficulty. The Maranello team was playing against an opponent that, if we do an honest retrospective, we could define as prohibitive.
Key men from Maranello, some who left and others remained, had been able to interpret the regulations in the most positive sense thanks also to a ‘political’ cover that keeps the forces in balance.
Every time we look back at that period we have to mention the disappearance of Sergio Marchionne, but this has been the great short circuit of Ferrari of the last 10 years. When credibility and authority were not there anymore, everything collapsed. After this sad event that affected Formula 1, understood as a political and sporting duel – which always go hand in hand – Mercedes has never really staggered.
What could have led Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari to win against Hamilton? Perfection with an important political coverage that would have counterbalanced some possible ‘pressures’. After a one-way 2019 and an even more predictable 2020, this season there seems to be a tough fight again, which will be played out on the continuity of performance and development; on who will also be able to afford to play an extra ‘chip’, thinking less about 2022.
But the issue is also psychological pressure.
Sebastian Vettel put Lewis Hamilton in trouble when he had a chance to qualify up front or next to him, which undoubtedly Max Verstappen is doing well. In this phase, Red Bull must necessarily prevent Mercedes – with Lewis – from opening a gap in Qualifying. This would consequently mean a Bottas with a better chance of being close and annoying Max, while it should be the other way around but Sergio Perez is still not able to challenge at the top. The Mateschitz team knows how to develop cars very well, they showed it even when it started very badly.
In this sense, the qualities at Milton Keynes are very high, but the reliability issue remains firm. Today Honda has achieved similar performance to the rival PU, at least in qualifying, albeit with some thoughts on vibrations that can indirectly affect peripheral components. See the replaced exhausts or the some electrical parts on board. Something that seems to be remedied.
Ferrari for example, also shipwrecked because of the unreliability of the SF70H in order to play all out at a certain point.
The pressure leads to working differently.
The Italian side has always been the subject of enormous media pressure, it is the price to pay for what it represents. This is one of the major differences with and is really substantial. Each word has a different weight, as does each episode on track. Even today we hear about mistakes of Ferrari drivers from 25 years ago, while the mistakes made last week by drivers of other teams are not remembered by anyone. Red Bull can therefore be a little more relaxed, at until the final 4/5 races of the season and above all, they should not to be underestimated, because they know how to win.
Basically it is a very similar team to the one that won with Seb.
In Brackley they know. It seems they have begun to send messages, apart from the Toto radios to the FIA. But it is part of the game and Mercedes has a very simple weapon on its side: knowing how to evaluate one’s limits and being able to manage them technically as a great team . It has never really been forced to pass crucial phases, which are often after the summer (when the title is decided).
Perhaps this championship could put them in front of the toughest test because Red Bull is not the Ferrari of that time, but Mercedes has always seemed the same. Otherwise, Verstappen could be the first to succeed if he maintains the clarity that in Maranello with Sebastian Vettel, in the moments that mattered, seemed to lack.
Today there is no Ferrari fighting for the title yet, but it can be a great Formula 1 season: the first fourth races have told us clearly.
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