Mercedes is raising eyebrows over what could be a major hiccup in Red Bull’s recent Formula 1 performance. The team has struggled in two of the last three races. At the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Max Verstappen barely held off Lando Norris in the final laps—a far cry from their usual dominance.
Mercedes technical director James Allison suspects that a significant upgrade Red Bull introduced in Imola, featuring a new floor and front wing, might have backfired. “I guess as soon as there’s a decent range of cornering speeds, they’ll be useful again, but it does look as if their upgrade was a downgrade,” Allison commented during the Canadian Grand Prix. He added, “So, fingers crossed that would really mess them up.”
Red Bull’s recent difficulties have largely been attributed to issues with the RB20’s kerb-riding capabilities. However, Allison believes the problem might be more complex, involving the actual performance drop from their latest upgrade package. “That [an upgrade not working] makes life hard because the moment you stop trusting your tools, you have to backtrack, and you lose loads of time. Time is your biggest friend; losing it is your worst enemy,” he explained.
When asked if Red Bull’s setbacks have sparked enthusiasm within the Mercedes camp, Allison didn’t hold back. “Everyone always loves other people’s misery in this game,” he admitted.
Meanwhile, Mercedes is also busy fine-tuning its own vehicle. The team has brought further upgrades to the W15 for the Canadian Grand Prix, aimed at enhancing a new front wing introduced in Monaco. These changes include revisions to the front suspension profiling to improve performance in both high and low-speed corners.
Despite making strides, Allison remains cautious about the broader picture. “I have to confess, I’m not really thinking of it in big-picture terms like that,” he said. “I’m just thinking where we are now appears to be somewhat better than we were two races ago. Hopefully, we will be somewhat better in a couple of races from now. We’ve gone from being really embarrassingly crap, not good enough, at the beginning of the year, to be near the fight. A little bit more will get us right in the melee.”
While Mercedes continues to chase performance gains, eyes are on Red Bull to see if their ‘upgrade’ proves to be a significant misstep. Formula 1 fans will undoubtedly be watching closely to see how both teams fare in the coming races.
Source: Motorsport
