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The standings may not tell the full story, and
luck has played a part, but on paper Mercedes are more dominant
than ever while Ferrari have fallen well short of expectations.
"We've soon got to stop talking about Ferrari this, Ferrari
that, Ferrari amazing power... because they are not delivering,"
said former grand prix driver and Sky Sports commentator Martin
Brundle.
Mercedes, the team that have won every championship for the past
five years, completed a hat-trick of successive one-two finishes
at Sunday's Chinese Grand Prix.
The only reason Mercedes cannot claim a perfect start is the
introduction this season of a point for the fastest race lap,
with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc quickest in Bahrain and Red
Bull's Pierre Gasly in Shanghai.
Otherwise, they have done something that escaped even Ferrari
during the golden era when they won six successive constructors'
titles and Michael Schumacher five championships in a row
between 2000-04.
The last team to start a season with three successive one-twos
was Williams, with Nigel Mansell and Riccardo Patrese, in 1992.
And yet five times champion Lewis Hamilton, team mate Valtteri
Bottas and principal Toto Wolff were still talking about luck,
small margins and tough battles ahead after winning Formula
One's 1,000th world championship race.
"Considering it was a real struggle this weekend, I’m really
grateful for the result, said Hamilton, Sunday's winner.
SOLID WEEKEND
The Briton was right to point out it would have been a different
story if Charles Leclerc's Ferrari had not lost power while
leading in Bahrain but 'could have, would have, should have'
never won anything.
"I’m just not sure they’ve really hooked up a proper solid
weekend just yet," said Hamilton, now back in the overall
championship lead.
"It was looking like it was going to be a solid weekend for them
in Bahrain and then it started to tail off. This weekend, they
were a bit up and down.
"I think we’re over-delivering a little bit at the moment to our
true potential but there’s still more to come," he added.
Ferrari were quicker down the long main straight in China but
Mercedes, whose engine has been the best of recent years, gained
through the corners.
China was seen as a track where Ferrari would have the upper
hand but it was Mercedes whose drivers lined up first and second
on the grid.
"Our car is maybe a bit draggier than theirs," said Wolff. "On
the speed and power we need to leave no stone unturned but in
terms of managing the tires, the downforce levels helped
obviously."
The champions also got their strategy spot on, double-stacking
their drivers brilliantly in a seamless pitstop on Sunday, while
Ferrari invoked team orders in a move that backfired.
The battle for supremacy is between Mercedes and Ferrari, with
Honda-powered Red Bull challenging for podiums, but Ferrari
leave China with more pressure on them.
Nico Rosberg, the retired champion who won the 2016 title with
Mercedes, agreed the Italians had work to do.
"I’m hearing from the Ferrari guys that they’ve got their car in
the wrong aerodynamic window at the moment," he said. "They need
to make changes internally but it's going to take time.
"They are only very good at the ultra-high speed tracks at the
moment and as soon as there are more corners, then they are
struggling. So they’re in the wrong place at the moment with the
car."
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by...)
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