Damon Hill backs Mercedes to finish second in the F1 championship behind Red Bull

Former F1 world champion Damon Hill spoke optimistically of Mercedes as he feels that the team will be able to make a recovery later in the season and have a better finishing place in the standings.

Mercedes have faced yet another difficult start to the season for the second year in a row after the introduction of the new regulations in Formula 1. Although last year’s issue seemed to revolve around the drivability of the car, this year, the W14, though much better than the W13, is just not competitive in terms of pace.

After the first three rounds of the season, they have scored just 65 points, which can also be attributed towards Ferrari's weak performance.

Despite this start and with very less expectations to win, Damon Hill feels that the team will be able to make up with upgrades and development. Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast when Tom Clarkson doubted the car's ability to upgrade, Hill said:

"Let's be a little bit optimistic and say that Red Bull hit a glass ceiling. They pretty much have the championship done and dusted, but they need to spend resources and make sure they don't overspend and think about next year."

Hill feels that Red Bull could potentially stop with the development of the RB19 later in the season and spend their resources on the 2024 car's development since they will already have the championship in their hands.

"There's nothing in the cost cap that says the money you spend this season has to be spent on this season's car. They may decide to sacrifice some victories towards the end of the season in favour of investing in next year's car."

"So maybe yes, others will push and spend all their resources in trying to beat Red Bull."

Tom Clarkson and Damon Hill feel the same while talking about the possibility of the Brakley-based team winning. Clarkson said:

"That's an interesting battle. So Mercedes are currently third in the championship, 9 points behind Aston Martin. Who comes out on top of those two teams will be fascinating."

"I think I would put my money on Mercedes."

Hill agreed with Clarkson on this statement, backing the team for their performance in the future of the season.

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Mercedes could become competitive after changes in the car's design concept

There has been speculation about Mercedes changing their design philosophy, which has been a subject of criticism since the past season.

After the first race of the season in Bahrain, Toto Wolff, the team principal, spoke about this the possibility of a design change. Although this upgrade will still take time to be seen on the car, it could possibly bring the team some wins.

This could bring in extreme competition this season, even George Russell mentioned earlier that the new spec Mercedes could help the team battle Red Bull for the win.