When it comes to F1 greats, there’s always a debate to be had whether it was the driver or the car. The F1 community has spoken at length about whether Michael Schumacher or Lewis Hamilton would have had the success without the machinery they had underneath them in their dominant years. But it’s not Lewis’ era anymore. We have a new kid on the block, Max Verstappen. In a shocking statement from the ex-Mercedes CEO, he recently expressed his belief that Max Verstappen would be unbeatable even if he was driving a sh*tbox. But he didn’t stop just there. He went on to claim that his former team is in more trouble than one might expect.

In conversation with OLBG, Nick Fry discussed the idea of a one-off race with standardized cars, a concept proposed by former F1 driver Johnny Herbert. While highlighting the impractical nature of such an undertaking, he said that Verstappen’s talent would still set him apart. According to Fry, the Dutchman’s ability to adapt and excel in any car sets him apart as the top driver in the current F1 era. Speaking of the current era, he also mentioned that Mercedes is not going to beat Red Bull anytime soon.

Nick Fry believes Mercedes won’t be able to catch Red Bull and Max Verstappen

There’s no doubt that Mercedes should have gotten rid of the zero pod design concept after it failed in 2022 with the W13. However, the technical team kept on hoping that the new suspension and gearbox assembly would solve the underlying airflow issues that plagued W13 at high speeds. It has cost them 2 years of crucial development time going after the wrong concept. And this, according to Nick Fry, is why Mercedes is in big trouble.

According to a recent report from f1maximaal.nl, Nick Fry said, “I’m sorry to say it, but I don’t think the technical team of my previous team, Mercedes, is strong enough. Competing with Adrian Newey’s team is a tall order. They’re a great team, but they’ve fallen far behind by going down a different technical path. The rate of improvement is significant year after year. But if you use a different concept for a year or two that doesn’t work, you’re going to be in trouble.“

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Fry believes that, given Mercedes’ substantial backlog, it’s unlikely for the German team to compete with Red Bull in the near future. He admits, “It’s hard to catch up with them (Red Bull). I’m sure they (Mercedes) will be good, but I’m not sure if they will be exceptional. I don’t see Mercedes consistently beating Red Bull.”

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However, according to the latest comments made by the Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff, their 2024 challenger will be a significant improvement over the W14.

Toto Wolff remains hopeful for the 2024 season

Mercedes has decided to change the concept of their car for the upcoming season, aiming to fix the issue that they created by trying to gain downforce without the usual undercut by going for significantly smaller side pods to get a larger floor area. According to Toto Wolff, there is a chance for Mercedes to move closer to challenging Red Bull.

Anthony Davidson, who conducts simulator work for Mercedes, provided positive feedback on the new design. In a recent conversation with Toto Wolff, Davidson said as per a report by The Telegraph, “The car feels like a car for the first time in two years.“ Wolff also emphasized the importance of maintaining a positive outlook for the team’s performance. “You cannot start the season with an attitude of, ‘This is not going to be possible.’ We saw last year with McLaren, what a huge step they made with a single upgrade,“ said Wolff in hopes of making a huge step forward.

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Do you think Nick Fry’s assessment of Mercedes being too far behind is valid? Can they do what McLaren did last season? Share your insights in the comments below.