"Probably more like Jeddah than Bahrain", Mercedes director predicts pecking order for 2023 F1 Australian GP

Mercedes technical director Mike Elliot feels the pecking order will remain somewhat similar in Australia as it was in Jeddah. Mercedes was the fourth fastest car in Bahrain and some distance behind both Ferrari and Aston Martin. Roles were somewhat reversed in Jeddah, where both the Mercedes drivers comfortably beat the two Ferrari drivers.

The two Mercedes drivers were not only able to maintain their positions ahead of Ferrari but also appeared to be the better package overall. Speaking of the prospective pecking order in Australia, Elliot felt that the track's nature being similar to Saudi Arabia could mean that the situation remains somewhat similar. He said:

"Firstly, our main aim at the moment is to continue learning. We've only had two races so far; it's really difficult to build trends from that. And really what we are concentrating on is trying to work out how do we keep moving forward? Can we make that next little step? Can we gain some more understanding that is going to help us to recover?"

He added:

"In terms of the actual characteristics of the circuit, Australia is probably front-limited and probably more like Jeddah than Bahrain. So, let's hope that we can find another small step forward, get a bit more competitive, find the learning that is going to help us move forward in the long-term."

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Mercedes confident of progress despite cost cap

Toto Wolff remains confident that Mercedes will continue to make progress with its package despite the cost cap. Speaking to Sky Sports after the race in Jeddah, Wolff talked about how the team would not be hindered by the cost cap when it comes to making progress with the package. He said:

"No, it's not such a big problem because we are not developing two different concepts in parallel because we are not quite sure; we are going one direction, fully committed, so that does not change anything."

He added:

"Obviously, if you are a second behind, it's quite a long way to catch up, but diminishing returns with the leaders, we are hoping on that logic, banking on that logic. Let's see what the reality will show."

The Silver Arrows now find themselves second in the championship and to an extent that is due to their impeccable reliability record. While both Ferrari and Aston Martin have lost a car in each race due to reliability, the German team hasn't and that has helped leapfrog the competition early in the season.