Will Mercedes be able to challenge Ferrari and Aston Martin? Mike Elliott explains

Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin are the three teams vying for second place in the constructors' standings. Despite their car being vastly different from one another, they are equally competitive to claim second in the standings.

Mike Elliott, the Chief Technical Officer at Mercedes, explains that the three teams are fairly close in terms of performance. Elliott added that the competitive order between the teams is influenced by the track layout.

Sharing his thoughts on the Akkodis Race debrief last week, Elliott gave his views on whether the Miami track suited their W14:

"I think that is always a really difficult question to answer because when you look at our cars they are actually fairly close in terms of performance. In Melbourne, we looked probably a bit quicker than Aston Martin and Ferrari."

He added:

"In Baku, we looked a little bit slower. In terms of the circuit layout I’d say Miami is a bit more like Melbourne. You might think: ‘Okay, that’s good for us’ and it is good for us."

Speaking further about the uncertainty at the Miami track, Eliott said:

"But like Baku, Miami has also been resurfaced. So, until we get there, until we run on the track, it is going to be hard to know what exactly we are going to find."

He added:

"It is going to be hard to know how we are going to optimise the setup and what level of performance we are going to have relative to our competition. So, in some ways we will just have to wait and see."

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan

In the season opener in Bahrain and the following race in Jeddah, Aston Martin was quicker than Ferrari and Mercedes. In the third race in Melbourne, the Silver Arrows clearly had an edge over their competitors. A month later, Ferrari appeared to be the fastest car on the streets of Baku.

As the momentum continues to swing between the teams, Mike Elliott expects his team to be ahead of Ferrari and Aston Martin in Miami. However, the upgrades being introduced to the SF-23 could pose a threat. The competitive order will be revealed as the teams hit the track for the second time in Miami.

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Where do Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin stand in the constructors' points table?

Mercedes, Ferrari, and Aston Martin's close performance on the track is reflected in the constructors' standings as the three teams are separated by 25 points.

Aston Martin is second in the standings behind Red Bull as they lead the trio with 87 points. Mercedes follow close behind with 76 points. Ferrari occupies fourth place, scoring 62 points after a troubled start to the season.

The Silverstone team's stellar rise to the front of the grid was led by Fernando Alonso's three podiums in the first three races. Meanwhile, its two competitors have managed only one podium each.