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Warning for Mercedes: 'Game over if they don't solve problems by Barcelona'

Warning for Mercedes: 'Game over if they don't solve problems by Barcelona'

08-04-2022 03:52 Last update: 06:48
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Despite various reports in the buildup, Mercedes arrive in Melbourne without any upgrades. Paul Di Resta warns Mercedes that it will be "game over" for the team's hopes of an F1 World Championship in 2022 if they don't solve the porpoising in Barcelona, but remains confident there is a "beast" in the car if they can unlock its potential. 

Mercedes struggle

Ferrari and Red Bull Racing have got on top of the new rule and regulations in Formula 1 and Mercedes currently sit as the third-best team on the grid. Throughout the opening two race weekends, Mercedes have struggled with porpoising but the Sky Sports pundits expect Mercedes to have top performance when they solve it. 

"I imagine there is a big update on the way to use the potential of the car. I still feel there is a really fast car. These cars are longer than an S-class Mercedes and wider than a Range Rover, if you can energise the underfloor you will just take off. I can see how it could turn around really quickly, you've got to find the magic solution," Brundle said. 

Game over

Ferrari and Red Bull will be pushing further ahead whilst Mercedes spend all their time and cost cap on the porpoising issues. Due to a retirement in Bahrain, Lewis Hamilton is only nine points behind Max Verstappen in the World Championship. Whilst there are only a few points between the drivers, the performance delta is significant and therefore former F1 driver Di Resta sends a warning. 

"The concept doesn't allow them to add weight to solve the porpoising so if they want to do that they will need to change the philosophy. Everything is so tightly packaged in the centre, it's caught them off guard. If they can get the car lower, accept the porpoising and put a spring in the drivers neck, there is a beast under there," Di Resta said. 

"If they don't get on top of this by Barcelona, it's going to be game over and they will be thinking about next year already," he concluded.