Mercedes Finally Have the Upper Hand in the F1 Title Race as Ferrari & Red Bull Find Themselves Dwindling Behind

The current constructor championship battle is an entirely different story than what it has been for the longest time. For the last 8 years, Mercedes has dominated the top of the grid. The domination has translated into 8 successive world titles for the Germans.

The 2022 rules and regulations have put an end to the supremacy of the German racing stable. The W13 is an underperforming package which has resulted in the team falling down the pecking order. Since the team was engaged in a fierce battle with Red Bull in the previous season, it could have very well limited the focus for the 2022 car.

The fresh rules in the season introduce new Aerodynamic test restrictions (ATR) on the teams. These rules and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) items get adjusted for each team as per their finish in the constructor’s table. The team at the top of the grid gets the least time, while the team at the bottom gets the most.

As a result, Mercedes, which is currently behind Red Bull and Ferrari in the championship, might benefit from this. As things stand, the German racing stable has a 10% advantage over the Austrian racing stable and 5% over the Italian constructor.

The Ferrari finished the 2021 season in P3. This meant 10% more time in the wind tunnel for the Italian giants than the former champions. The results of extra time in the wind tunnel are quite clear with the on-track performance of F1-75 this year.

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All the decisions taken from now on will dictate the performance of the Brackley-based team in the 2023 championship.

What has helped Mercedes with their resurgence in 2022?

In this new era of the sport, the ground effect domineers the aerodynamics of the F1 car. This introduced the porpoising issues to the Mercedes, due to which they have not been able to run their car at the desired ride height, further slowing the car down.

The Ferrari and the Red Bull have set the benchmark this season. The RB-18 and the F1-75 are arguably way ahead of the W13 on most race tracks. This has put the German manufacturer out of contention for the world title.

The team finds itself in uncharted waters. Mercedes has been on the top for such a long time, that fighting in the mid-field feels foreign to them. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are adamant about taking the team back to the top of the grid.

Fortunately, the team has the scope to develop its car and close the gap with the leaders. Taking its learning from each race so far, the Germans introduced new parts ahead of the British GP. Their star driver, Hamilton, ended up on the podium with this upgrade package on his W13.

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Yet, it is quite unclear if the team has found a cure for their problems because of their inconsistency. One thing that the defending constructor champions have done right is to build a reliable car. The reliability has earned the Mercedes multiple podiums.

The season still entails 12 races, with 3 races to come this month. The whole paddock will have clarity over if Mercedes has turned its season around and is back competing for the wins each weekend.