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Debate | Mercedes started the attack on Ferrari at Silverstone

Debate | Mercedes started the attack on Ferrari at Silverstone

05-07-2022 08:42 Last update: 09:57
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GPblog.com

Lewis Hamilton led for the first time this year at his home race, the British Grand Prix, with what looked like a competitive Mercedes W13. The verdict after the weekend at Silverstone reads: Mercedes began its assault on Ferrari in the championship this weekend.

Hamilton on pace with Ferrari

Hamilton took his third podium of the year in a very tumultuous race this weekend. With this, the Brit is currently sixth in the championship. Hamilton made a big step forward in the championship with the retirement of teammate George Russell. The Mercedes drivers are now in P5 and P6 and together account for six podiums. The team is the third constructor and is still losing out to Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. The team of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have won seven races and took thirteen podiums, while Ferrari have won three and took ten podiums. Mercedes is currently 61 points behind the Italian team and 124 points behind Red Bull.

After Hamilton's strong performance this weekend and especially the strong race pace that his W13 showed, one can think of an advance for the team in the championship. Mercedes could look to overtake Ferrari this year if the team continues this development. At Silverstone, Hamilton was at times faster than Ferrari's F1-75. We were unable to see what George Russell's pace was during the race due to the big start crash, but throughout the weekend there was very little porpoising going on. The W13 also seemed to bounce significantly less on the footage. It is likely that Mercedes have finally (largely) solved the problems and that the issues will not return soon.

Hamilton gets access to true power W13

Without the porpoising, the true power of the W13 in the hands of seven-time world champion Hamilton could be fully unleashed. In that case the fast, but usually bumbling Ferrari with only a 61 point difference is an easy prey Mercedes. The points difference with Red Bull seems too big and Red Bull is also too dominant in some races and proved to be particularly fast on the straights in England. Whether Mercedes can still make things difficult for Red Bull this year is therefore harder to say, but that Ferrari could well fall prey to Toto Wolff and his gang is very likely.

Do you agree with the statement Mercedes started the attack on Ferrari in the championship this weekend? Leave a comment below explaining why you think Mercedes has caught up and can beat Ferrari.