At the end of each race weekend, the theme Mercedes it is always in the forefront to be discussed together with that of the struggle Ferrari-Red Bull. As usual, therefore, after the French Grand Prix, speculation about Brakley's team is back. The eight-time constructors' world champions looked fit at Le Castellet, and one wonders if it was a stage episode or the new habit.
The French weekend of Mercedes
There were all the signs for a weekend in which Mercedes would have behaved well. As well as Silverstone, Paul Ricard is also characterized by a smooth asphalt. And if the W13 brought back optimism among its fans in the British GP, he did the same in the French weekend.
Hamilton and Russell signed, for the first time this season, a double podium. The two Brits rode perfectly and the W13 it seemedonce in a while being able to do what the pilots wanted: battle. However, if there is one thing that more than any other relieves a bit of stress from Mike Elliott's technicians, it is the gap that separated Hamilton from Verstappen at the end of the race. 10 " seconds compared to the usual 40”.
Mercedes-Red Bull gap: where is the truth?
The gap between the two now former rivals (and who knows that that "ex" will not be eliminated in the short term), however, he has something of a liar. To affect the proximity of the two samples must be considered two factors: the Safety cars entry following theLeclerc accident, and the possibility that race leader Max Verstappen was himself managing with relative calm the margin on the pursuer, in order not to ask too much of tires and Power Units, a crucial factor in the world fight.
It is therefore clear that those 10” seconds of gap, under normal conditions, could have been more, but on closer inspection, hardly that "10" would have come close to the usual figure, especially remembering the performance at Silverstone.
Political struggle and hay on the farm
At the beginning of the year, after having ascertained that the W13 was not up to the top cars, a quick return to the games was expected by Mercedes. That return hasn't happened yet, but political and technical movements do not allow rivals to live in peace.
Toto wolff and his men lie in wait, expending time and energy to nab the two top challengers. The Austrian manager, while riders and technicians fight on the track and in the technical offices, he fights on the negotiating tables, calling for regulatory changes in the name of safety, which, obviously, would be reflected in favor of the Brakley team. despite theopposition from other team principals, like Christian Horner and Mattia Binotto, Wolff continues his "campaign" on equal footing, doing everything to bring the team back to the top as early as 2023, by any means possible.
Towards Hungary
The exciting Hungarian weekend is just around the corner. There are still many questions about Mercedes, e.g the hypothesis of reviewing such a performing W13 could be risky, as thehungaroring it does not have the same characteristics as the Ricard. The technicians of the three-pointed star have run out of bonuses about the announcement of the 'definitive package that will take us back to the top', and from now on it will be clear if to the team it will be better to continue putting time and energy into a project that gives more headaches than results, or migrate to paths already travelled.
