Mercedes accepts Red Bull Racing deficit: 'Hopefully not for long'

Mercedes started 2021 with a win in Bahrain and a double podium, but still, the team has to work hard. Indeed, Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton both acknowledge that Mercedes is not the favourite at Imola.

For the past seven years, Formula 1 has been dominated by Mercedes, but at the start of 2021 Red Bull Racing has come out on top. Hamilton won the race, but Max Verstappen was the fastest driver in his RB16B throughout the weekend. At Mercedes, they are working hard but accepting the situation.

''Bottas is in a good mood. He was very happy with his race pace in Bahrain, after struggling a lot there last year. That does him a lot of good personally. He accepts that he really needs to make a move this year, and even talked about them being chased, rather than being the hunters. Mercedes accepts that they are not favourites for the race in Imola,'' said Lawrence Barretto in the Weekend Warm-Up.

Where Bottas is mainly talking about a situation where they are being chased, Lewis Hamilton sees it differently. The Brit won in Bahrain, but it was not easy. He had to come in earlier and then stay out for laps on old tyres to keep Verstappen behind him. Hamilton enjoyed it but hopes not to have to do so for long.

''I hope we are not in the same position for too long where we have to stop earlier and do longer stints. It was a fun race, but we have work to do. We are the hunters. It could also rain this weekend, and that usually works for me. Red Bull are in a slightly better position now, but that doesn't mean we can't beat them,'' Hamilton concludes.