If you followed pre-season testing in Bahrain, you must be aware of Mercedes’ less-than-perfect outing. If not, let us give you a brief.

The Silver-Arrows logged in the fewest laps of anyone in the Bahrain test event. Their W12 was not only blighted by reliability and speed issues, but also looked undrivable. The likes of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas acknowledged the problems that the new regulations posed to the rear of their car.

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher knows that Mercedes are not sandbagging. He believes their issues are real, saying “Mercedes is definitely struggling with an aerodynamic problem.”

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Although the FIA froze most of the chassis for 2021, they brought in a few changes to the diffuser and the floor of the cars to reduce downforce. So, that could be the root of Mercedes’ problems.

“You can see from the departures and the problems that Lewis Hamilton also had, that the car does not react as you are used to and as you expected. If it’s a concept question, the question is: Where does it start? Maybe it’s the new design of the tires that doesn’t exactly help the Mercedes,” said Schumacher.

With less than two weeks to go before the season gets underway in Bahrain, it is challenging for the engineers. “So shortly before the start of the season it is an absolute horror.”

Schumacher feels Verstappen is in pole position to dethrone Mercedes

In contrast to them, their main rivals, Red Bull, had a seamless experience in Bahrain. Their RB16B is apparently free of the issues that blighted them last season. Also, Max Verstappen topped the timesheets, so that is another morale booster for the energy drinks outfit.

Ralf Schumacher feels that the Dutchman is in the driving seat for the 2021 title just like Lewis Hamilton was last year.

“You get the feeling that Max Verstappen is sitting in the Mercedes from last year. Wherever he turns in, the car goes without him having to make corrections.”

Of course, we must not dive too deep into it as it’s just pre-season testing and Mercedes’ sandbagging approach is becoming more and more famous in the paddock. We’ll get a clearer picture when the team’s return here in 10 days’ time.

Read More – What is Sandbagging & Why Are Mercedes Frequently Accused of Following This F1 Tactic?