Formula One: Guess who is quickly becoming RedBull's top rival ... again?
Mercedes have picked up the pace in the last few races, looking stronger and stronger compared to the rest of the field.
At the beginning of the year, Mercedes arguably sat fourth in F1 performance behind the likes of RedBull, Ferrari, and Aston Martin. Now, Mercedes could be looked upon as the clear second-fastest car behind RedBull.
The results speak for themselves:
* Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished ahead of both Ferraris in Monaco.
* In Spain, Mercedes logged a double podium with Hamilton and Russell finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.
* Last time out in Canada, Hamilton finished in front of both Ferraris while Russell had crashed out. Nevertheless, Mercedes are up there battling behind RedBull and looking to potentially steal a race win later on in the season, but where did this speed come from?
Redesigning the Side Pods
When the new technical regulations debuted last year, Mercedes were the only team to go with a "no side pod" design.
Oddly enough, Mercedes lacked speed and struggled with stability. It would go the entire year without changing the design, despite small adaptations.
It took until just a month ago for Team Principal Toto Wolff to change the car. Debuting at the Monaco Grand Prix would be the new-look Mercedes with actual side pods on the car.
Ever since the upgrade, the results have improved. The new side pods are wider and rounded compared to the prior ones. The side pods also offer an inlet with a tunnel under the side pod for maximum aerodynamics. The side pods very much look like something off the Aston Martin or RedBull car.
It wasn't just the side pods that were changed, either. With a change in one part of the car, another part gets affected. So to complement the side pod change, Mercedes introduced a newly updated floor that would work well with the new side pods.
The upper wishbone of the suspension is now angled downward which could now allow the car to be lower to the ground under braking, which equals more speed in slow-speed corners.
Mercedes have given up on their "zero side pod" project and will continue to upgrade the car throughout the year to enhance the new design and push to equal RedBull.
Newfound Confidence
Ever since the upgrades got rolled out, Mercedes has finished on the podium, including the double podium in Spain. This has instilled a newfound confidence in the drivers.
Both Hamilton and Russell have hope in the car and believe that they can get a double podium at any race. Partner that with a top-tier driver lineup and Mercedes will be looking to secure 2nd place in the Constructors Championship this year. As of right now, Mercedes are 13 points ahead of Aston Martin, who sit third.
A confident George Russell could be dangerous for Formula One. Russell is a very fast and aggressive driver, and if he is given the platform, he will perform.
Consider the last time Mercedes won a race: it was Russell in Brazil last year. Mix that with the 7-time world champion Hamilton and you have a confident driver lineup in a car that might have as much speed as a RedBull later on in the year. To say the least, Mercedes could be dangerous later this season -- no, scratch that -- Mercedes is already dangerous!
This season and beyond
Most journalists and fans alike believe Mercedes will pick up a win soon. As of right now, nothing is stopping RedBull's Max Verstappen. With that being said, reliability concerns look to be the only thing preventing RedBull from winning a race.
At some point this year, RedBull will run into reliability issues and another team will have to pounce on the opportunity. At this moment in time, it would seem Mercedes would be the team to snag a win.
What about next year? These teams will eventually start developing their 2024 car and slowing down upgrades for this current year. If Mercedes wants to provide Hamilton and Russell with a car for championship contention, they need to get next year right.
They must at least give the drivers a car that can win any given race, very much like 2021 where Verstappen and Hamilton won almost all the races.
The 2024 developments will be very interesting on whether or not Mercedes will be closer to RedBull or if they will lose out to teams like Ferrari, Aston Martin, and even Alpine now with their new investments.
For the rest of this year, the goal is to remain the second-fastest team and push the speedy 'Bulls for race wins. So say the least, the future is definitely looking bright for the silver arrows!