Kravitz is not certain whether Mercedes 'dream team' will return

The Mercedes of 2020 and before were on top. Another constructors' title came in 2021, but only one win in 2022 and 2023 combined. Can Toto Wolff's German team still come out on top? There seems to be growing doubts among analysts.

Damon Hill already openly doubted the Mercedes engineers by stating that the W13 and W14 were particularly substandard in terms of aerodynamics (compared to, say, a Red Bull). Even colleague Ted Kravitz does not seem 100 per cent convinced that Mercedes will again be competing for wins and the world title from 2024 onwards.

"I ask myself, is the Mercedes dream team changing fundamentally now in a way that they can quickly bounce back and become that dream team again? James Allison is still there, Toto Wolff is still there, Andrew Shovlin is still there, but there has been some key departures – Andy Cowell, James Vowles, [Aldo Costa] the Italian engineer," Kravtiz said.

People come, people go

Cowell - former head of the engine division - left Mercedes after the 2020 season, Vowles started as team boss at Williams this year, and Costa has been gone for several years. On top of that, Mike Elliott also left just before the Brazilian Grand Prix.

"And I'm just wondering, like all dream teams change, whether there is some transformation about this team, and whether they're going through a bit of a change and whether that dream team ethic and quality can survive next year? Lewis Hamilton believes they can, so I think we have to believe they can as well, but that's going to be a challenge going forward," the Sky Sports pit reporter said on his own programme Ted's Notebook.