In Australia, at the Albert Park circuit, Mercedes took a step forward and placed lewis hamilton on the podium behind max verstappen and ahead of the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso. The other Mercedes, the one with George Russellhad to withdraw due to a problem in his power unit.
Mercedes has improved, yes, but recognizes that there is no “magic wand” to keep up with Red Bull. This was stated by Toto Wolff in statements to ‘Autosport’.
“We had performance flashes in the car that encourage us for the next part of the season. It is encouraging to see that in three races we understand the car much better,” says the Mercedes boss.
He points out that they are on the “correct trajectory”: “I hope that in the next few races we can take another step.” The silver arrows are third in the constructors’ championship, just nine points behind Aston Martin and 30 points above the Ferrari.
Wolff acknowledges that catching up with Red Bull is not an easy “challenge”. Right now Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez they have shown that they will fight for all the races of the season. But Baku could be a turning point for their rivals as improvements are expected from all teams.
Mercedes, yes, has already given up on revolutionizing its concept and bringing a completely new car as they pointed out at the beginning of the season. The current one has shown, at least in Australia, that may be in the fight. Now it remains to be seen if it will catch up with Red Bull.
