With Mercedes only a solid third this season, nobody thought they would become a threat but George Russel’s blistering qualifying might be sign of things to come. With the W13 F1 car having started the season well of the pace of the top teams, hopes were low for the Silver Arrows.
Nowadays however, Mercedes looks like an ever-looming presence in the top stop, always vigilant, looking for the slightest chance to pounce. Most recently, that chance came in the form of a double podium finish at the French GP for the British pair.
Considering what we have seen this Saturday, that show of pace by Russel and Hamilton was no fluke, but the pace of the W13 finally being unlocked. Considering this newly exposed pace, a certain 7-time World Champion still has a chance to keep adding to his streak of winning a race in every season he raced in Formula 1.
Apart from that, both drivers have been incredibly consistent over the course of the 2022 season, with George receiving some well-deserved praise. The young Brit who is now racing his first season with the German F1 team has scored a top 5 in every race, barring a DNF at his home Grand Prix. This consistency is what helped Mercedes achieve so much in the turbo-hybrid era and it might be the key to them making a comeback in a season everybody thought was compromised for them.
What should be a really big encouragement and reason to cheer for Mercedes fans is that their favorite team has made one of the most reliable cars on the grid. Red Bull and Ferrari are both plagued by issues with multiple catastrophic failures and DNFs between them. Adding insult to injury, Ferrari is also known for cracking under pressure and making strategy blunders, which might make way for Mercedes to sneak into the second spot of the World Constructors Championship.
As a kid, Bogdan grew up handing his dad the tools needed to work on his old Citroen and asking one too many questions about everything happening inside the engine bay. Naturally, this upbringing led Bogdan to become an engineer, but thanks to Top Gear, The Fast and the Furious series, and racing video games, a passion for automotive entertainment was ignited. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News