Brundle flags one F1 team that has hit the sweet spot after Barcelona testing

The former F1 driver turned pundit expressed his belief that the Brackley-based team appears to have mastered the new regulations. However, Brundle was quick to temper expectations, stressing that the true test will come under proper race conditions.

"Clearly, they look like they've sort of aced this completely different set of regulations. But we need to see what it's like on normal track temperatures. It's going to be about power regeneration and filling their battery back up, but of course, they'll regen as well as any other Mercedes-powered car, probably a Ferrari-powered car too,” Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column.

"You might have a car that just fires its tyres up brilliantly on a cold day and then overheats them on a hot day, which is a problem we've seen Mercedes have before,” he added.

Brundle stressed that while it’s still early days in F1’s new era, Mercedes may have found the “sweet spot” under the new regulations.

Through pre-season testing in Barcelona, Mercedes proved to have the most reliable package, completing more laps than any other team over the three-day window.

However, team principal Toto Wolff has opted to temper expectations, noting that several other drivers, including Max Verstappen, appear not to have unleashed their full potential yet.

While Brundle is confident in Mercedes’ progress, Williams Racing team boss James Vowles expects a closer fight. He suggested that the dominance Mercedes enjoyed in 2014 is unlikely to be repeated under the new regulations.

Nonetheless, Vowles acknowledged the strength of Mercedes’ engine package, particularly its reliability during pre-season testing.