Mercedes driven by "sting" of being "second best" to Red Bull

James Allison has revealed the "sting" of being "second best" to Red Bull is currently driving Mercedes forward in its bid to win an eighth F1 title.

Following an unexpected victory in Bahrain for the team and Lewis Hamilton, Red Bull and Max Verstappen responded at Imola with a comprehensive victory.

Ahead of this weekend's third round in Portimäo, Hamilton holds a slender one-point lead over Verstappen courtesy of his fastest lap at Imola, while Mercedes is seven points clear of Red Bull in the constructors' standings.

Allison, who steps down from his TD position to become chief technical officer at Mercedes from July 1, has confirmed the work to catch up to Red Bull since the team's poor form in pre-season testing has been "pretty intense".

He added: "I think it is human nature that when you get stung, you jump around a bit more intensely than you might otherwise and we certainly don't enjoy...

"We love the race and we love the fight but we certainly don't love feeling second best.

"We have been doing our best to try and move our car forward to try and suffer that sting any longer than we have to. It is nearly always pretty intense but it just goes up a notch."

With Mercedes attempting to reclaim its position as the dominant team in F1, Allison has confirmed the season so far is at least leaving a lasting memorable impression.

"It is a different sensation from last year," said Allison.

"I have said internally and externally, that although last year was amazing in many ways - collectively, we produced one of the all-time great racing cars and had a season that was pretty immaculate - there were not many parts of last year that are deeply, deeply memorable.

"An easy win doesn't linger in the mind like one that is fought for tooth and claw, like that one in Bahrain.

"Winning from a position of underdog, which we definitely were, is just a brilliant experience. You remember it forever. I will be boring my grandkids with this if I am ever lucky enough to have them."

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