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"Would be disappointing if 2021 was dominated by Red Bull"
- GPblog.com
In recent years it has been Mercedes that has been dominant in Formula 1, but judging purely by the winter tests the momentum seems to have shifted to Red Bull Racing. It's too early to draw any conclusions, but it seems clear that the German team needs to make some changes. So says Mark Hughes in his column for Sky Sports.
"Red Bull meanwhile, benefitting from the double whammy of a significantly improved and shrunken Honda power unit and a more driveable-looking chassis than last year, look in the ascendancy", can be read on the British website. "Mercedes is in a race against time to uncover the flaws that were making its new W12 such a difficult drive, with what both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas described as an unstable and unforgiving rear end."
Lots of oversteer Mercedes
Hughes noticed a lack of balance in Mercedes, with Hamilton and Bottas suffering from excessive oversteer in many corners. According to the analyst there is 'clearly something wrong'. The Mercedes management knows that the rear of the car needs improvement, but they don't know what exactly is lacking.
For years the fans have been waiting for the duel of the giants. If Mercedes can solve their problems then it looks like it will finally happen in 2021. "If Red Bull's form in testing was not a desert mirage, then even if Mercedes does identify and correct its specific problem, it looks like we just might have the big contest F1 has been anticipating for far too long: Lewis Hamilton vs Max Verstappen in equal cars, the king and pretender."
Hughes therefore hopes that Toto Wolff's team will recover: "It would be just as disappointing if the '21 season turned out to be one of Red Bull dominance rather than Mercedes. Let's hope that with a Mercedes aero glitch corrected, the two cars are near-enough equal and everything then focuses upon these two extraordinary performers."