'Mercedes keeps getting closer to first win of 2022'

Mercedes is making big strides in 2022. So big, in fact, that former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer thinks the German team will be on the top step of the podium once more this season.

Mercedes began 2022 well behind Red Bull Racing and Ferrari. The team did score podiums, but this was usually only because things went wrong for the Ferraris and Red Bulls. As the summer break drew to a close, the Mercedes W13 became faster and faster, so much so that George Russell took pole position in qualifying in Hungary.

Palmer believes Mercedes have a serious chance of victory in the second half of the season. According to the Brit, a certain trend can be seen in the team. "We are seeing a similar trend at the moment for Mercedes – Hamilton charging from further back and having what appears to be race-winning pace but having too much to do to recover from his Saturdays," Palmer said at F1.com.

In Hungary, Russell showed during his first stint that he had the speed that the Ferraris also had, while teammate Hamilton was often the fastest driver on the track during the second stint. Mercedes may still need some luck to win, but there have been clear steps forward from the start of this season.