Valtteri Bottas said in a warning to Red Bull that, in his opinion, Mercedes will continue to improve its car in 2021, even if the focus is on the next season. The 2022 season brings with it new regulations in Formula 1 that aim to encourage closer races and more overtaking maneuvers.
Bottas has not done as well this year as he and his Mercedes team had hoped, but his team-mate Lewis Hamilton leads the drivers’ standings by eight points over Max Verstappen.
While the vast majority of Mercedes engineers will try to move forward for the 2022 season, Bottas believes that some of the car developments from earlier in the season will not happen until after the mid-season break.
Bottas told Hypebeast: “The fact is that we no longer develop the current car in the factory, but there are still improvements.
“Because when you discover something in the wind tunnel, it naturally takes a while before the parts actually come onto the track. So it doesn’t matter.
JUST IN: Montoya predicts a tough season for the “hunted” Max Verstappen
“We had some new parts at Silverstone and I hope we will have more later, but at some point it has to stop because there is obviously a big change in the regulations next year and the team has to balance the car’s performance against that this year next year.”
Bottas also spoke about how Red Bull closed the gap with Mercedes between last season, when the Brackley team was completely dominant, and this year, when the goal of the constructors’ championship is in the air.
Bottas attributes this narrowing between the teams to the new aerodynamics regulations that came into force this season and the resulting effect on the downforce of the W12 Mercedes.
The Finn said: “The new regulations and the restrictions on the aero side definitely influenced us,” he said.
DO NOT MISS:
Andretti eyed the takeover of the Formula 1 team amid talks with Haas
Jenson Button points out a “hurtful” comparison with Lewis Hamilton
Red Bull is complimented by “politics and lobbying” behind the scenes
“During the tests before the season, we found that we didn’t have quite as much downforce and grip in the car as we did the year before.
“Ultimately, the car’s chassis is the same as last year, but the change in aerodynamics affected our balance in winter – probably more so than with Red Bull.
“It wasn’t the easiest year in that regard, but we can do more as a team.”
F1 returns for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend at Spa-Francorchamps on August 27th.
The post Valtteri Bottas’ Mercedes claim will serve as a warning to Red Bull and Max Verstappen | F1 | Sports first appeared on monter-une-startup.
