'Mercedes back to their old ways in Imola, it's up to Red Bull to keep up'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
If the Bahrain Grand Prix has shown anything, it is that an on-track equivalence between Mercedes and Red Bull can deliver a spectacular show. Whether this battle will continue into the next few race weekends remains to be seen, and according to Ralf Schumacher, depends on major technical steps at Red Bull.
In his column on the German Sky Sports Ralf Schumacher looks back on the exciting race in Sakhir, and gives his view on the catch-up already done by Mercedes compared to winter testing: "I didn't think it was possible [for Mercedes] to make up the clear gap to Red Bull in such a short time. Not to forget: Valtteri Bottas also made it onto the podium despite a failed pit stop", Schumacher said.
Work to do
In light of this, the German predicts the Silver Arrows to be back to their old self at the second Grand Prix at Imola: "So for the next race in Imola you can probably count on a Mercedes of old strength."
Schumacher continued: "This can only mean one thing for Red Bull: They too have to take the next step, which is likely to be a major feat in terms of personnel and finance. Doubly annoying, after all, all teams want to get down to the development of the car for 2022 as early as possible." Whether the former driver is proven right, we will see in April at Imola.