“Not have much hope for Mercedes,” Ralf Schumacher limits the championship battle between Ferrari and Red Bull

“Not have much hope for Mercedes,” Ralf Schumacher limits the championship battle between Ferrari and Red Bull

Ralf Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton

So far, in the 2022 season, Mercedes is off to a shaky start. The team’s W13 has looked off the pace in the first two races and appears to be the third-fastest car on the grid after the Ferraris and the Red Bulls.

Ralf Schumacher, the ex-F1 driver, in his column for German Sky Sports, expressed his thoughts after seeing Mercedes form in the first two races of the current season. He believes that Mercedes has little to no chance in the championship, and won’t be intervening in the title race.

Ralf, in his column, while talking of the Saudi Arabian GP, wrote, “In the race, the speed wasn’t that bad, but still almost a second behind Red Bull and Ferrari. Personally, I see little hope that Mercedes will intervene in the World Championship fight. I think they have a tough time ahead of them as a team.”

Ralf Schumacher’s view of Mercedes’ situation and engine

Ralf Schumacher
Ralf Schumacher

Mercedes dominated the entire hybrid era, i.e., 2014-2021, and won all the constructors’ championships, thanks to the large workforce and the best power unit of the era. This also played a big hand in their drivers’ winning 7 of the 8 WDC titles during the same era. However, with the beginning of the new era, the team is struggling since the second round of pre-season testing.

Ralf, in his column, while continuing to discuss Mercedes, said, “Mercedes has always been able to use its engine in the past and call on even more power than the others. That’s no longer the case this year. Perhaps the fuel also needs improvement, which is always due to the engine’s anti-knock properties. And then there is the car. This is not efficient enough in terms of resistance and downforce. Mercedes used to be able to compensate for this with its powerful engine, but not this year.”

He also praised Lewis Hamilton and George Russell for their respective performances, and also expressed his excitement for the latter, who may not appreciate the team seeing him as the second driver. Mercedes has a long way to go this season but shall ensure they do not finish any further lower than the Ferraris and the Red Bulls. 

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