Can RedBull really challenge Mercedes?

There has been a lot of hype around intense battle between the current reigning champions of the hybrid era – Mercedes – and the resurgent RedBull for the 2021 World Championship.

We have seen only 4 races till now in a long season of 23 races but there are still some patterns emerging which we have seen many times earlier too.

Red Bull topped the time-sheets during the pre-season test sessions in Bahrain. Their aero was always good. This time Honda has put all their efforts in this 2021 engine and brought their upgrades forward to ensure that they exit the F1 world with a bang. The result are clearly positive. Max Verstappen looks in a very good state of mind, ready to mount a title challenge to Lewis Hamilton.

On the other hand Mercedes seem to have lost a lot of downforce due to the new aero regulations which trims bargeboards towards the rear. This seems to be a major issue for low-rake cars like Mercedes and Aston-Martin. The car is good, no doubt, but lacks the confidence of the previous years where it was clearly better than the others.

So all of this led us to believe that Red Bull would clearly come out on top this season.

Alas it seems to be more of a wish than a reality.

Mighty Mercedes

It is not for nothing that Mercedes have been World Champions for 7 times in a row, unprecedented in F1 history. They are a well oiled machine with top talent across the spectrum. Not only do they have the best engine in the hybrid era, they also have a very good aero package. Mercedes has never rested on their laurels. Continuous innovation is a hallmark of the team and they have shown this many times, from introducing the crazy DAS system to having a big bulge on their engine cover. With many iterations and research they have managed to claw back the downforce which they had lost due to the new regulations.

So the gap between Mercedes and Red Bull as not as big as it seemed in pre-season testing.

King Lewis

Lewis Hamilton is a 7 time world champion and we can see why. He of course has the talent and ability to not only win races but also championships. He keeps a cool head and thinks long term. Lewis’ tyre management is the best in the sport. But most important factor is his ability to execute the strategies he is asked to implement. We saw this most recently in the Spanish GP where he had claw back 24 seconds of time and overtake Max to win the race. He did it smoothly, without breaking a sweat.

It was Lewis who clinched the title from Ferrari and Vettel in 2017 and 2018. He will be doing the same in 2021 as well.

RedBull needs driver no. 2

The third biggest factor is the other driver in Mercedes and Red Bull. Valtteri has done a great job being the number 2 driver at Mercedes. He may not have the pace of Lewis but ensures to stay close enough to grab a podium.

RedBull second seat has been a curse of sorts since Daniel Ricciardo left the team. No one has come even remotely close to matching Max. Sergio is not in the mix of things with the Mercedes, forcing them to change their strategies. This handicap was clearly visible in the Spanish GP. Every F1 fan is hoping that Checo comes up to speed soon so that we have a good fight at hand.

So while we may have much close fights between Lewis and Max, in the end it will be Mercedes and Lewis who will come out as clear winners in 2021. RedBull and Max need some more magic to turn things around.