Chandhok: 'Red Bull really isn't going to be faster than Mercedes everywhere'

The last time Mercedes won a race was in Barcelona. Since then Max Verstappen has won three races and Sergio Perez managed to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Sky Sports analysts Karun Chandhok and Paul di Resta look at the difficulties Mercedes are having at the moment.

"Mercedes aren't giving up this fight, and this circuit isn't a good indicator for the rest of the season. It's a slightly unusual circuit which we have to keep in mind. It's not a given now that Red Bull are going to be ahead by three-tenths for the rest of the season. The Championship battle is well and truly on," Chandhok explained. Di Resta complements his colleague and also expects Mercedes to come back.

"They can't admit defeat. They probably thought they were in a better position come the wins in Portugal and Barcelona. They had to fast forward and rethink it. We want to see a battle." That wasn't the case, however, and even more so after Verstappen's victory at Paul-Ricard, it was clear that Red Bull are fast, although Chandhok still questions that.

"It's about optimising what they can. The race team at the track have to extract every ounce of performance. Just two races ago, Lewis Hamilton came within a lap and a half of winning the French Grand Prix. Had they pitted a lap earlier, they would have been in a better position to win that Grand Prix. memory is short in this paddock. For everyone thinking championship battle is over based on last week...it's not," assured Chandhok.