Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport Technical Director James Allison believes that the Constructors’ Championship is theirs to win based on the pace the team has shown so far this season.
Mercedes have taken five pole positions and three fastest laps in the ten races so far this season, compared to Scuderia Ferrari‘s four poles and two fastest laps. Despite this speed over their rivals, Mercedes currently sit twenty points behind Ferrari in the Constructors’ standings, with Lewis Hamilton now eight points behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel in the Drivers’ Championship.
Speaking after the tense British Grand Prix, Allison said that this points deficit isn’t due to a lack of pace in the car – it’s for a “host of other unconnected reasons”.
“This sport is at its very best when unpredictable and we saw that proven today with a thrilling spectacle for the aficionado and casual fan alike. However, as a Mercedes team member, it hurts a lot not to have Lewis on the top step of the podium where his blinding pace today should have put him.
“Leaving aside the misfortune of the first lap, it is intriguing to speculate how the final part of the race would have played out without the Safety Car.
“Valtteri was in very good shape on his tyres, and closing on Vettel, who we had seen was more challenged on tyre wear during the race. But it was not to be.
“Although we have endured a couple of difficult weekends, this has not been because the car was slow but for a host of other unconnected reasons. In the end, pace normally tells over the course of a season, and if we bring it to bear in the next 11 races, we will muscle our way back into a title race that is very much ours to win.“
