David Croft SAVAGES Mercedes' performance in triple-threat attack

TV commentator David Croft saw the Mercedes W14 up close in pre-season testing in Bahrain and he was less than impressed by the new car.

The Sky Sports anchor believes there are major issues for the team heading into this weekend's opening grand prix.

Early signs suggest Lewis Hamilton and George Russell appear to be facing a fight to get on the podium, let alone compete for race wins – after picking up just one between last season, when Russell won in Brazil.

Although porpoising looks to be a thing of the past, Mercedes have lots to be concerned about heading into the new campaign.

READ MORE: Russell concedes Red Bull 'in a league of their own'

Brutal assessment from Crofty

Croft, known affectionately as 'Crofty' by fans of the UK TV broadcast, pulled no punches as he assessed Mercedes' chances based on what he saw in Sakhir last week.

Well, let's say we hope so for the sake of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell and everyone working at Brackley and Brixworth but I'm not sure I saw evidence of that.

He said on the Sky Sports F1 season preview show: "In testing the car looked draggy, it looked slow and it looked like someone was tugging away on a lead [on] the rear wheels, on the second day, every time Lewis Hamilton and George Russell went around a corner.

"It just didn't look like a car that was going to set the season alight. I think they probably will start behind Red Bull and maybe a couple of others as well."

READ MORE: 'Lewis is a Ferrari fan' - F1 Twitter reacts to Hamilton's bold Bahrain outfit

Fellow pundit Anthony Davidson agreed with his colleague's assessment of the struggles and pointed to the performance nadir for Mercedes across the three days of testing.

"The second day in the afternoon, that's when the car was at its worst," said Davidson. "It was leaving lots of dark lines on the exit of turn eight, it felt like a bit of frustration, desperation from Lewis in not having the grip there at the rear of the car that he wanted – but he wasn't alone, there were other cars out there that struggled.

"I was surprised to see the Mercedes struggle as much as it did. I feel like the worst was behind them after that afternoon in the second day, the third day looked a lot better. It looked more like the car that we saw at the tail end of last year and that's where I expect them to be rolling into this season, about that performance they had at the end of last year."

READ MORE: Verstappen to dominate as Mercedes emerge from shadows – What to expect at the Bahrain Grand Prix

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