Mercedes stumbling against Red Bull attack as it is "trying too hard" - Ross Brawn

Top three in Styria — Photo: © LAT Images

Mercedes

Mercedes stumbling against Red Bull attack as it is "trying too hard" - Brawn

Mercedes has fallen 40 points behind in the constructors' championship

Sam Hall

Monday 28 June 2021 15:35

Ross Brawn believes Mercedes is "trying too hard" in its pursuit of Red Bull in the F1 championship standings after falling to a fourth consecutive defeat.

The run is Mercedes' worst since the introduction of the current turbo-hybrid era in 2014, and Red Bull's best since it won the last of its four consecutive titles at the end of 2013.

Mercedes now finds itself trailing Red Bull by 40 points in the constructors' standings, with Lewis Hamilton 18 adrift of Max Verstappen in the drivers' championship.

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"This is the fascinating thing about F1," said Brawn in his regular post-race column. "Sometimes you win races you shouldn’t win. Sometimes you don’t win races you should win.

"It did feel at the beginning of the year that Red Bull, who were a very slick operation, fumbled a bit. But now they are back up to speed.

"What looked to be the better car is now showing it in the results. At the beginning of the year, Mercedes outraced them. That is not the case now. It’s been the opposite in the last couple of races. Mercedes are trying too hard, and they’ve stumbled a bit."

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff again noted across the Styrian weekend his belief the team had been hurt more than others by regulation changes over the winter, a claim Brawn queried.

He continued: "Someone said to me after the race: ‘Do you think the change in the regulations hurt Mercedes?’ And I said let’s not forget at the end of last year, the Red Bull was probably the fastest car.

"The change of regulations impacted everyone. How much each team was affected is difficult to judge. Red Bull are really starting to assert their authority."

How can Mercedes revive its season?

Brawn acknowledged the deck appears stacked against Mercedes this year with the budget cap and new 2022 aerodynamic regulations severely limiting the development capabilities of teams.

That has prompted Wolff to reveal that development on the current W12 has stopped as the team focuses its resources on ensuring the car it delivers next year is strong from the off.

"It’s a very difficult year for Mercedes to come back because the focus is so strongly on next season and the new regulations," added Brawn.

"Nothing can be done on the engine. Do they burn any resource on this car and sacrifice a bit for next year? I suspect not, as it’s so difficult to suddenly pick up the momentum on a car that you’ve probably stopped working on.

"They may try and race it more effectively, try and squeeze a bit more performance out of the set up of the car, and how it’s working, but I don’t think we’re going to see any big upgrades or big changes in the car.

"They have to squeeze a bit more juice out of the lemon without putting too much resource into it which could negatively impact next year."

Brawn feels the next three races before F1 heads off on its traditional August break could be pivotal.

"It looks like Red Bull are running a lower drag configuration, giving them a straight-line speed advantage," added Brawn. "I don’t know if that is an option to Mercedes.

"Are they at the optimum? Do they question their simulations? Is the development of a new rear wing maybe the sort of project they could afford to put some resource into?

"That’s what's going to be rattling around their minds until the break. Once the break is over, everyone will be committed to next year. Let’s see what happens in the next three races before the summer break."