“Don’t forget, this is testing”: Mercedes fire warning to rivals after ‘overly gloomy’ perception in preseason

One of Mercedes' senior figures recently spoke to Sky Sports F1 presenter Craig Slater about how their pace in pre-season testing should not be taken too seriously as they will develop a strong car for the 2023 F1 season. During the three days of testing, Mercedes were not the strongest, especially when compared to Ferrari and Red Bull.

However, a senior figure in the team explained to Slater how they should not be underestimated simply based on pre-season testing. He further explained how the team is bringing several other developmental parts that will make the W14 faster as the season progresses. Though he admits that they are miles behind Red Bull, they could still fight Ferrari and Aston Martin for second place in the championship. Mercedes' senior figure said:

“I was speaking to a senior figure from the team today who said that it was overly gloomy, the assessment of where they’re at, saying: ‘Don’t forget, this is testing. We are developing a car not specifically for Bahrain, but to be the best car over the year. We have more parts that come. We expected based on Red Bull’s performance last year to have to start the season behind them, that is possibly – and they use the term possibly – where we will start.’”

He further added:

“And they also said but we do think we’re in a fight a good scrap with Aston Martin and with Ferrari for second place. That would put a much more positive spin on things if that is the case.”

Mercedes have a reputation for sandbagging during pre-season testing and then unleashing their full potential once the season begins. Although they genuinely looked troubled at times during testing, Toto Wolff has hinted that his team is hiding some performances. Despite all that, it is safe to say that the Silver Arrows will need to pull a miracle to propel themselves up the grid and reach Red Bull.

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Toto Wolff admits Red Bull is better than Mercedes in several aspects

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently admitted that their main rivals, Red Bull, are miles ahead of them in terms of performance. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were mostly ahead of Mercedes cars in pre-season testing.

Wolff explained how the RB19 was able to brake later, accelerate earlier in corner exits, and have much better traction when compared to W14. He said:

"They brake later, are slower on corner entry anyway, accelerate much earlier and gain a huge amount of time with the better traction. If we approach the corners like that, we miss the apex completely."

It is safe to say that the Brackley-based team experienced some bumps in the road while doing their pre-season testing. The team admits that they might not be able to perform up to expectations in the Bahrain GP, but will surely improve as more development packages arrive later in the season.