Mercedes revives old times: 'Did a superb job'

Formula One teams will have to deal with new regulations this season, potentially turning the playing field upside down. The situation is reminiscent of 2014, when the sport switched to hybrid engines and Mercedes seized power.

Red Bull Racing was the strongest for many years between 2010 and 2013 by winning four world championships with Sebastian Vettel. However, due to the major changes in Formula 1, it proved impossible for the Austrian racing stable to hold on to that lead. Mercedes took advantage of this and, with Lewis Hamilton, went on to have great years.

Mercedes' strength apparently had to do with two components, writes Edd Straw at The official website of Formula 1. Whereas the team had started making the car early, just before 2014 it had also expanded the team considerably. "Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains did a superb job to troubleshoot and produced a power unit that set the standard for F1 in 2014, and for years to come," Straw said.

Also in 2021, Mercedes started the production of the new car seemingly early. At Red Bull, however, this is not entirely clear. Several people around the team agreed in recent months that the Austrians put their focus mainly on the world title last calendar year, so it has to work hard to catch up.