1. Will Mercedes strike back?
It was two disastrous races for Mercedes as the lead in both championships was given up.
In both Monte Carlo and Baku, Mercedes simply did not have the pace to beat Red Bull, but atypical mistakes by the team exacerbated a miserable race for the reigning world champion.
At the Monaco Grand Prix, a failed pit stop cost Valtteri Bottas a podium, while Lewis Hamilton only finished seventh after fighting for speed all weekend.
Hamilton should have won in Baku, but an uncharacteristic mistake meant he was unable to benefit from Max Verstappen’s earlier retirement after a flat tire.
On the subject of matching items
Red Bull has thus gained a lead of 26 points in the constructors’ championship and Mercedes has to openly admit that they are currently not operating at the level “that it takes to win championships”.
The good news for Mercedes is that the street theater run is over as F1 heads to the Paul Ricard Circuit in France ahead of a one-two in Austria.
On the subject of matching items
Hamilton dominated the French Grand Prix from pole position in 2018 and 2019 and secured a 1-2 result in the most recent race at Paul Ricard.
Getting the tires in the window turned out to be the main sticking point for Mercedes, as road routes like Baku have no lack of high-speed or high-load curves that help the tires get up to temperature quickly.
France is a more “traditional” track layout with a combination of high-speed and medium-speed corners, which should theoretically help Mercedes with its tire problems.
Mercedes should get back in shape in France but we thought that would be the case for Baku.
2. Can Bottas save his season?
Bottas has had his worst start to the season since joining Mercedes in 2017, and while it wasn’t his fault alone, the Finn needs to get back in shape in the upcoming triple header.
The Finn was stripped of a guaranteed podium in Monaco, but his performance during the GP weekend in Azerbaijan was arguably the worst of his career as he was fighting for pace all the time.
With Sergio Perez looking like he’s finally adjusted to the Red Bull RB16B and got his first win for the team last time in Baku, Mercedes will be relying on Bottas to support their advance in the constructors’ championship and a useful one at the same time Bauer against being Verstappen in Hamilton’s pursuit of the driver’s championship.
If the latest rumors are to be believed, he’s on the way out of the team in favor of Russell, but Bottas will know he’s fighting for his F1 career with limited competitive spots on the 2022 grid.
If Bottas is actually dropped for next season, Mercedes will have to be careful how it deals with its second driver and make sure it doesn’t suffer like Ferrari does with Sebastian Vettel when it has a disaffected, unmotivated driver in its hands.
The good news for Bottas is that Mercedes loves the Circuit Paul Ricard and that the Finn himself has an immense record at the Red Bull Ring, which is the venue for the Grand Prix of Styria and Austria.
3. A true measure of Ferrari’s progress
One of the biggest talking points on the F1 road circuits was the shape of Ferrari.
Charles Leclerc achieved consecutive pole positions and surprised everyone.
Sainz confirmed Ferrari’s impressive turnaround in Monaco with second place after Leclerc was unable to start after his crash in the final moments of Q3.
Leclerc didn’t have the racing pace to claim a podium in Baku, despite still finishing fourth.
Team principal Mattia Binotto doesn’t think it’s a true representation of Ferrari’s true pace.
“I think there are obviously two cars ahead of us [Red Bull and Mercedes] which are undoubtedly even stronger, ”said Binotto.
“It was great to have pole position both in Monaco and here in Baku, but I don’t think that reflects our overall performance. I think there are two cars that are stronger. “
Ferrari leads McLaren by only two points in the race for third place in the constructors’ championship and the Italian company is hoping to take some of its form with it in the French GP this weekend.
4. Is the hag ‘from old’ really back?
Sebastian Vettel was in top form again in Monaco and Baku and moved up to ninth place in the drivers’ championship.
Before Monaco, Vettel had not scored a point, so the question arose whether the four-time champion still has what it takes to survive at this level.
The German struck back spectacularly in Monaco with an impressive overcut and was able to prevail in fifth ahead of Pierre Gasly and Hamilton.
Likewise, a long first stint in Azerbaijan lifted him up before overtaking Gasly and Leclerc in fourth place on the track.
Vettel finally achieved his and Aston Martin’s first podium of the season and inherited second place after Verstappen’s puncture and Hamilton’s mistake when restarting with a red flag.
As with Ferrari, Aston Martin’s upswing is likely tied to the racetrack, but it takes nothing from Vettel’s two most recent impressive accomplishments.
5. Another Paul Ricard Snooze Festival?
Circuit Paul Ricard isn’t at the top of the F1 circuit fan list as its last two Grand Prix snooze fests.
The route layout itself offers a number of options, with the long Mistral straight providing an excellent opportunity to overtake.
The sample size is very small, so it would be unfair to write off this French circuit in full.
A rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen at the top; a late safety car or a little rain could easily change the fans’ perception.
For this year’s race, the track underwent an extensive resurfacing and re-profiling program that included a number of corners being re-profiled.
The changes will not only improve drainage, but will likely present more of a challenge for drivers and thus potentially more fights on the track.
Conversely, the new track surface will make the track smoother and possibly easier to drive with fewer bumps when braking, etc.
The post Will Mercedes strike back when the Formula 1 triple header begins in France? | F1 first appeared on monter-une-startup.
