Bad prospect for Mercedes: 'They're struggling here more'

It is clear that Red Bull Racing and Ferrari are constantly keeping an eye on Mercedes. This is not surprising, as the team has dominated Formula 1 for years and many people expect Mercedes to make a comeback soon. The competition fears it is imminent due to the tightening of the rules.

But in France, the team does not seem to be getting any closer to Red Bull and Ferrari. According to Anthony Davidson of Sky Sports F1, porpoising is now not an issue, but something else. "It's more about the general drag which for me is their achilles heel. I saw it in Austria in the race, and I see it here again. You need good straight-line speed here and it seems like they are lacking there as well," the analyst stated.

According to former driver Johnny Herbert, it even looks like the team is going backwards in terms of development. Herbert sees 'other little issues that are getting in the way of the development that we thought was getting better.'

Big gap for Mercedes

The difference between the top three teams is also clearly visible in the results of the free practice sessions in France. Mercedes has to settle for differences of up to a second to Ferrari or Red Bull Racing. For the time being the dream comeback of the team is not there yet.