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Mercedes has had an insightful season so far. Beginning with their first pre-season testing, where they dropped a shocker when their 'podless' W13 debuted. The community thought that the car was simply sandbagging and that Mercedes has managed to build an engineering marvel. But who could've guessed that the team wasn't lying about their troubles this year?
Lewis Hamilton was particularly struggling as George Russell rose through the ranks and was the Silver Arrows' pegasus through it all. However, the team couldn't find solutions to porpoising for the longest time, resulting in back pain for both their drivers and a headache for the engineers. Ferrari, by then, had begun its fall from the throne but wasn't threatened as much.
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Nevertheless, the Silver Arrows did find their rhythm by the time the summer break arrived. Mercedes' climb to resurgence was clear after their exceptional performances in Canada, Britain, and Austria consecutively.
Let's look at the reasons why Mercedes could end up in P2 ahead of Scuderia Ferrari.
#5 W13's comeback
Mercedes have been very vocal about their car performance this year, to the point where Toto Wolff called it a "s******" on the team radio. The car was no match to the pace that RB-18s and F1-75s were producing. In fact, the W13 was almost 2 seconds off Red Bull's straight line pace, thanks to Adrian Newey's brilliant work with the car.
However, Mercedes has slowly but steadily gained momentum. Since the Canadian GP, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have started winning podiums. Hamilton's brilliant display of pace in Britain and Russell's Hungary qualifying pole were proof that the team has indeed worked hard to put the car back in the front row. The Silver Arrows now, aren't too far behind Ferrari's pace and can challenge them.
#4 George Russell: Mercedes F1's breakout star is a threat
Russell is championship material. He has silenced his critics who questioned his talent when he raced with Williams. He often put on a brilliant display there as well, dragging the car further ahead than it was made for.
Russell currently stands at P4 on the championship table and can be counted on to take a race win if the car produces pace. He is just 14 points behind a P2 finish in the standings and it would be no surprise if he manages this feat. Russell is undoubtedly the most outstanding talent this year. Despite running only the third fastest car, he managed to defend from Max Verstappen in Spain and finished ahead of Sergio Perez in France. He produced a mega lap to maiden qualifying pole in Hungary.
The Briton is a future world champion in the making and has all the caliber to not only challenge but also finish ahead of both Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc.
#3 Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is back in form
This year has been full of challenges for Hamilton. From being thrown out of Q1 itself at Jeddah to being embarrassingly lapped by Max Verstappen at Imola, he saw it all. The British champion was mocked, with many hailing the cars as the only reason he ever won the championships.
The Mercedes ace finally started to find his footing when the Canadian GP arrived. He presented a brilliant front, even achieving a fastest lap finish to his name to take the podium. The driver was a nightmare for both Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez during the British GP, as he once again finished on the podium ahead of Leclerc.
In a car with equal or closer pace to Ferrari, Hamilton might give Leclerc and Sainz a tough time.
#2 A race win is all Mercedes needs
Mercedes currently stand on P3 and are just 30 points behind Ferrari. In all, the Scuderia camp is part of a losing gamble from here on, with the championship heavily tilted towards Max Verstappen. However, this is the right time for Mercedes to spoil Ferrari's party further.
The car finally has pace and might be a big challenge for the other two top contenders for a race win. Right from topping times during practice sessions at the Dutch GP, they look promising to win a race on the technical circuits that are up next in the calendar. If the team has regained momentum, Andrew Shovlin and Co. can indeed turn the game overnight.
Russell still has a shot at P2 and Mercedes is a very strong unit. They won't break under pressure, and, with the right team calls, the 8 time constructors champion can be counted on to give both their drivers a last-minute boost to top finishes.
#1 Ferrari's disastrous strategy and team calls
The Maranello camp has been its very own enemy this season. Every race saw the camp struggle, with both their drivers never having a smooth race simultaneously. Leclerc, Sainz, and their team would trend on Twitter every weekend as a result of Scuderia's questionable decisions.
The camp has definitely not learned from past mistakes as the Tifosi brace themselves for further pain in the competition. Their last straw was probably when the team asked Sainz to pit whilst battling Perez for a podium finish. Mercedes have already been promoted to many gifted podiums as the Scuderia kept on spoling their own races.
The season ahead looks challenging for Ferrari and they would rather look busy sorting out what to do with their own strategies and save their image. Mercedes, from here, should be able to achieve P2, and have Ferrari as their biggest reason to thank.
