Mercedes notices that it is entering another phase with the team

Mercedes started the season very disappointingly. Whereas the German team was one of the top teams in Formula 1 in recent years, it started the season well behind Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. Andrew Shovlin says his team is now on the right track, he tells Formula1.com.

Mercedes benefitted from Red Bull and Ferrari's failures at the start of the season, but the team is now taking control of its own destiny. The difference in the cars' qualities is beginning to narrow, giving hope to the Germans.

The top man of Mercedes notices with this that it has entered a different phase. Whereas the factory workers were first busy looking for solutions to the problems, the racing team now has a broad base to build on.

"That's actually quite exciting," admits Shovlin. "There's a lot of happy people at the factory now that we're sort of getting into a phase that's starting to make sense to us... We need to score points, we need to fight in the championships, but the big one is we've got to learn to know what we want to do for next year and to try and get the car back to the front."

Mercedes hopes for battle with Ferrari

Although Max Verstappen is firmly on top with Red Bull Racing, Mercedes can still put up a fight with Ferrari. The Italians are just thirty points ahead and struggled just before the summer break.