'You don't expect that from a team with eight world titles in a row'

Since the entry of hybrid engines into Formula 1, it was Mercedes that was the bellwether. The German brand had understood the new engine best and was miles ahead of the competition. In 2021, Honda was the first to really get close to Mercedes, but in 2022 the Germans seem overwhelmed by the competition.

Mercedes lacks speed

The speed measurements on the track don't lie. If you look at the so-called 'speed traps', the bottom part of the table consists of Mercedes-powered cars. Toto Wolff tries to protect his engine department by stating that it is not all down to that, but according to Anderson that is not what his customers want to hear. Wolff is also suggesting that all of Mercedes' customers are incapable of building a good straight car.

In his column for The Race Anderson certainly doesn't want to write off Mercedes just yet. In the past they have worked their way out of trouble more often than not, but with the budget cap that will be a lot harder now. Anderson also noticed another point about Mercedes not fitting the stature of an eight-time world champion.

Problems for Mercedes

''To arrive at the second race of the season cutting bits of the rear wing flap to create a lower downforce and drag level is not what I would expect from the team that has won eight consecutive constructors’ championships. Going about it this way will also reduce the effectiveness of the dreaded DRS. The smaller the flap, the smaller the drag reduction when it goes from closed to open'', says the journalist.

For Mercedes, there is an additional problem, because winning the world title also gives the team the least amount of time in the wind tunnel until the summer break. Due to the descending scale, the highest ranked team from last year gets the least amount of time on CFD and in the wind tunnel, so Mercedes has to be even more efficient with its time.