Theory: Mercedes' longstanding lack of opposition now makes the team vulnerable
General
- GPblog.com
The race at Paul Ricard was the third time in a row that Red Bull Racing managed to deliver the winner on the podium. It was also the third time in a row that Mercedes failed to get further than second place. In fact, in Monaco and Baku, there was no Mercedes driver on the podium at all. The team that seemed untouchable for years now has to pull out all the stops to keep up with Max Verstappen's team.
Series
When the Brackley-based team changed its name from Mercedes GP to Mercedes AMG in 2012, no one could have guessed what was to come. In 2013, Lewis Hamilton replaced Michael Schumacher, who had earlier returned from retirement, a choice made by the Briton that few could understand at the time. That Hamilton would be the last to laugh, however, soon became clear. Although it was Nico Rosberg who took the first and certainly not the last victory for Mercedes in Monaco in 2013, Hamilton's winning streak began in 2014.
In 7 years time, Lewis Hamilton was crowned world champion 6 times. This went on almost without much opposition, as Mercedes' car was so superior to the rest of the field that it usually only took a few laps for the Silver Arrow to gain a lead of tens of seconds. The team was rarely challenged, and the most difficult year to manage internally was not coincidentally the year that Nico Rosberg snatched the title from Hamilton. This brought a lot of internal friction. So much so that Rosberg left it at the end of the season and announced his retirement as a racing driver.
Victim of his own success?
At Mercedes, they didn't have to think long about the second seat. The only thing that was clear, was that they didn't want any more fights between the drivers. Therefore Bottas seemed a golden move. However, now that Mercedes has lost its absolute dominance the choice might turn out to be wrong. Bottas has been easily outpaced by Verstappen, and Sergio Perez is now outperforming the Finn. There has also been an accumulation of strategic errors, stuck wheel nuts, bickering over rear wings and drivers openly criticising the team this season. It seems Mercedes have had it so easy in recent years that they have become a little nonchalant. Now that Red Bull Racing is finally here Mercedes seems to be a victim of its own success.