Wolff: 'Red Bull Racing has lost less downforce than us with their floor'

The winter test two weeks ago gave the strong impression that Mercedes are going to be less dominant this season than in recent years and may even have been overtaken by Red Bull Racing. Although they looked good again during the first free practice in Bahrain, Toto Wolff thinks that his team have been hit by the new regulations.

"Our analyses have shown that the high-rake concept has lost less downforce than the lower rake, and in the last year of these regulations we wouldn't be able to replicate the concept that Red Bull and some of the other teams have been racing," Wolff said as quoted by Autosport.com.

Pirelli rubber also offers challenge

Especially during the winter test it was noticeable that Mercedes seemed to have little grip at the rear, which is a direct consequence of these new guidelines, although Wolff says that the new Pirelli tyres also have an influence on this. In any case, the Mercedes factory has been working hard over the past two weeks to find a solution and it seems to have largely succeeded.

"It wasn't minor balance changes, it was rethinking the sweet spot of the car, also in combination with the tyres. The snappiness on the rear is much better. Now, it's about tuning it for the meaningful [evening] sessions tomorrow and on Sunday," said Wolff.