F1 pundit pessimistic about Mercedes' chances in China: "Unless two wrongs somehow make a right"

Former Aston Martin head of strategy and Sky Sports pundit Bernie Collins is pessimistic about Mercedes' chances of improving in Shanghai for the 2024 Chinese GP.

The German team has endured a tough start to the opening four races of the season as both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have failed to score a podium thus far. The former world champions currently sit in P4 in the Constructor's Championship with 34 points, just one ahead of Aston Martin.

While appearing on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Collins pointed out that Mercedes are assessing their options as they weren't 'happy' with their simulations in the past races. She said:

“Mercedes were really unhappy with the car and there was a lot of discussion that their simulation wasn’t working correctly. So how they’re assimilating the car reacts to certain changes, to certain environments. That’s not great if you’re going into a new race or if you’re going into a race with a lot of unknowns.

“If you are struggling to simulate a race that you’ve been to four times in the last four years, then it’s not great for one that you’ve not been to either unless two wrongs somehow make a right and you ace the set-up.”

Mercedes team boss previews the Chinese GP this weekend

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has stated that F1's return to Chinese GP after five years would be a 'fantastic' weekend for the sport.

On the team's official website, the Austrian said:

“We’re looking forward to racing in Shanghai and bringing F1 back to the Chinese fans. I am sure it will be a fantastic event."

He also previewed the first Sprint weekend of the season and the chances of the W15 around the Shanghai International Circuit, adding:

“The changes to the format, including second parc fermé, will be an improvement to the rhythm of the weekend. The single hour of practice still puts pressure on to make correct decisions with imperfect information.

"We are looking forward to that test. The headline results didn’t show it, but we made solid progress with our car in Japan. We are looking forward to building on that this weekend.”

The Sprint weekend might present opportunities for teams like the Silver Arrows as there is more jeopardy involved through the weekend. They have won five of the previous six times F1 has raced in China in the Turbo-Hybrid era with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg as their drivers.