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When the Mercedes F1 team came into Bahrain testing, they were all over the headlines. The champions of the V6 Hybrid Era, winning the Constructors Championship every single year from 2014 through 2021, seemed to have been dethroned.
Bringing in a talented young maestro in George Russell to join forces with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton seemed to make for the best driver pair on the grid. However, it stands to be a long year for them as, for the first time in a long time, they have to fight their way to the top.
Mercedes' excellence lies in their consistency
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Mercedes are the only team that has finished every race of the season without a single DNF. They are definitely slower than the front runners Red Bull and Ferrari, but both Red Bull and Ferrari have suffered multiple DNFs throughout the course of the season.
George Russell has been lauded as Mr. Consistency by the F1 community, simply because of his exceptional driving. He hasn't finished a single race lower than P5 this season. Lewis Hamilton, on the other hand, has scored two podiums for the team and finished in the points in every race except for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Mercedes find themselves in a unique position in the Constructors Championship. They are not as quick as the Red Bulls or the Ferraris, but neither as slow as the midfield cars. They also find themselves in an interesting situation with regard to points differences.
The gap between Mercedes and Ferrari is smaller than the gap between Ferrari and Red Bull.
It could be argued that this is solely Ferrari's fault with their strategy flops and multiple DNFs in the last few races, but it also suggests that Mercedes' consistency might be paying off.
If Ferrari don't improve their car, Mercedes will no doubt catch up to them. When the Italian outfit were slow in testing, rivals suspected that they were playing games (as they have done in the past), but their struggles seemed to be real. The consistency that Mercedes have shown will now be key in them going after Ferrari for second place on the log.
The fact that the eight-time champions aren't under pressure to support any of their drivers' championship campaigns means they can solely focus on the team. In previous seasons, they had to make sure that their championship contender's race was not compromised in any way and had to thus deliver flawless strategy calls and pitstops. As a result, the pressure often presented an unbearable load.
Without such pressure, the Brackley-based outfit look a lot more calm and composed as a team. Their strategy calls have been perfect throughout the season, which has helped their drivers gain a lot of places in races.
When looking at the stats, George Russell's average starting grid position is 7.44, but his average finish position is 4. The same goes for Lewis Hamilton, whose average grid position is 7.78, while his average finish position is 6.22. This reflects two things: the team's strategy isn't failing the drivers, and that the drivers' performance have rarely ever failed the team.
Red Bull still sits on top of the points table.
Red Bull and Max Verstappen had a few scares in the first few races as Verstappen did not finish two out of the first three races. But since then, Red Bull has won every single race and Verstappen has won all but one; the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix which his teammate Sergio Perez won.
Looking at it objectively, Red Bull are easily the best team on the grid. A lot of which is attributed to Max Verstappen's performance and his teammate Sergio Perez who backs him up very well. The team has stood on the podium in every race except the inaugural Bahrain Grand Prix.
However, the reliability issues with their car can't be overlooked. Just when everyone thought that they had overcome it, those issues made a comeback at the Canadian Grand Prix. Sergio Perez missed out on valuable points due to a gearbox issue that made for his second retirement of the season. This also looms a shadow over the fact that Max Verstappen could be hit with an issue sooner or later.
Despite being plagued with extreme porpoising issues, Mercedes' car is still the most reliable on the grid. This, combined with an excellent pair of drivers, has seen good results for the team. Sure, they might not be winning races, but as a team they have been brilliant and there is no denying it.
Purely from a consistency-based point of view, Mercedes have proven to be the best team on the grid for the better part of the season so far. As far as what will change over the summer break is yet to be seen. Mercedes will look to continue their form in their home race at the British Grand Prix starting July 1st.
