Mercedes has been struggling since 2022, the year when the cost cap and ground-effect regulations came into the sport. Clearly, these new regulations have not been easy to adapt for the Silver Arrows. On the other hand, their rivals, like Red Bull, have adapted beautifully to the new era and new rules. It seems like there is no stopping the Milton Keynes team. They have won back-to-back constructor titles from 2022 to last year. Moreover, they had a great start to the 2024 season as well.

If everything goes right for them performance-wise, the Red Bull Racing can win the constructor title again. However, Mercedes will take miracles to get close to their arch-rivals, as it seems. When Red Bull has won 42 races since 2022 so far, the German outfit has managed to win only one. Moreover, Toto Wolff’s team has been winless since last year. On top of that, they had one of the worst starts to a season this year. Clearly, they are not a top contender for the title anymore. 

Ralf Schumacher Said, “Mercedes Is Partially A Top Team At Present”

Recently, in an interview, Ralf Schumacher mentioned Mercedes can only “Partially” claim that they are still a top Formula 1 team. It is really hard to believe that this German outfit used to dominate the grid throughout the turbo-hybrid era. From 2014 to 2021, no other team came close to winning the constructor title. It was the hegemony of the Silver Arrows. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton was the most dominant racer of that period. After all, he won the Driver’s World Championship six times during that period. As a result, the great Briton was able to equal the record number of title wins by the great Michael Schumacher. Previously, Hamilton had won his maiden title in 2008 with McLaren. 

Thanks to Mercedes, Hamilton became the only F1 driver to win more than 100 Grands Prix. But the same team is responsible for Lewis Hamilton to remain winless since 2022. The Brackley based team has not been able to build a fast car that can challenge the hegemony of Red Bull in the last two years. Clearly, this is the level of mediocrity Ralf Schumacher was talking about while discussing where Mercedes has sunk into. However, the brother of Michael Schumacher believes Mercedes is not totally responsible for Hamilton’s slump. But it is true that the sub-standard cars that came three years in a row from the Brackley factory made Hamilton switch to Ferrari from 2025.

Why Ralf Believes Mercedes Is Not Completely Responsible For Lewis Hamilton’s Fall?

The former F1 driver said Lewis Hamilton is not the youngest driver on the grid anymore, and that shows in his performances. When racers get old, it becomes hard for them to engage with the machine and adapt their style of driving. Moreover, Ralf feels, in another way, Hamilton’s departure is a blessing in disguise for the Silver Arrows. He believes, “A new broom sweeps clean.”

 The former GP winner feels that over the course of time, Lewis Hamilton has been dealing with a little bit of a lack of trust at Mercedes. Hence, it will be interesting to see who replaces him. Ralf said now they will get to see, “Who gets the cockpit?” Anyhow, Schumacher said that until Mercedes fixes its issues with aerodynamics and other areas, it will remain a “Partially” top F1 team. 

Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.         

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