Brawn: 'Red Bull already had the fastest car at the end of last year'

After eight races, the odds are starting to fall more and more in the direction of the Red Bull Racing team. According to Formula One sporting director Ross Brawn, this is the time for Mercedes to decide whether they want to go for this championship or focus entirely on 2022.

Have the rule changes hurt Mercedes more than other teams? "We have to remember that Red Bull Racing probably had the fastest car at the end of last year. The rule changes have affected everyone. To what extent each team has been affected is hard to say," Brawn wrote in his column on Formula1.com.

No major updates expected at Mercedes

Brawn sees an ever stronger Red Bull Racing. "Red Bull is really starting to assert authority. It's a very difficult year for Mercedes because the focus is so much on next year and the new rules. I don't think they're going to spend all their resources on this car because it's very difficult to suddenly pick up momentum on a car you're probably already not working on," he continued.

"They can try to race the car more effectively to get that little bit of extra performance out of the set-up, but I don't expect any more major upgrades," the Formula One sporting director continued. Incidentally, Lewis Hamilton's comments about Red Bull's top speeds have not gone unnoticed. "It looks like Red Bull is driving with lower drag, giving them an advantage on the straight. I don't know if that's an option for Mercedes as well. That question will rattle their heads until the summer break," Brawn said.