Two Formula 1 races have been completed, Red Bull and Ferrari fought twice for victory. Not a word has had a say so far constructors world champion Mercedes. Ex-racing driver and TV expert Ralf Schumacher gives a gloomy forecast.
A look at the driver and team rankings for the 2022 Formula 1 season, which is admittedly still young, provides a rare picture: the Mercedes racing team, which was first in the constructors’ ranking last year with 613.5 points, is already 40th after just two Grand Prix points behind Ferrari.
In the drivers’ standings, things are also looking bleak for the Mercedes duo of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Newcomer Russell is fourth, Hamilton only fifth. While the Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz with Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez from Red Bull have now delivered thrilling races twice in a row, the two Silver Arrows only drove behind.
Ralf Schumacher admitted in his “sky“Column admits that it is still very early to make predictions for the outcome of the world championship. “But from the overall package and from the development opportunities, the duel for the world championship crown will be held between Red Bull and Ferrari,” said the Ex-pilot still convinced.
Schumacher: Mercedes cars “not efficient enough”
“Mercedes has always been able to use its engine in the past and access even more power than the others,” analyzed Schumacher: “That’s no longer the case this year because they can’t really go to the limit with the E10 share on the combustion engine side .” There may therefore also be a need for improvement when it comes to fuel, “that’s always due to the engine’s anti-knock properties.”
Ralf Schumacher continues about the W13: “And then there’s the car. It’s not efficient enough in terms of resistance and downforce.”
The 46-year-old sees “little hope that Mercedes will intervene in the World Championship fight. I think they have a difficult time ahead of them as a team.”