© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer says Mercedes does seem to be “the team of the top three that have had the toughest test”, but he thinks “they’re probably sandbagging a little bit as well”.
Everybody seems to be talking about Mercedes underperforming at the 2022 Bahrain Pre-Season Test.
There’s no doubt, by Mercedes’ own admission, that Red Bull and Ferrari seem to have the upper hand right now. Jolyon Palmer agrees.
“Between Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari, it’s Mercedes that are on the back foot at this stage,” the Briton said in his analysis.
“They came out with a really innovative design, the ‘zeropods’, basically no sidepods on the car, which caught everyone’s attention on day one.
“But they’re struggling a little bit more to get the car into a proper working window. The car is porpoising a huge amount.
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“George Russell was in it as testing finished and probably is struggling with a headache he was bouncing so much.
“That’s a real problem for the Mercedes team to balance putting the downforce on the car and not putting it into the ground as they’re going down the straights.”
However, ultimately Palmer says he has no doubt that Mercedes will deliver in the end.
“I think Mercedes, [as] last year’s Constructors Champions, they’ve won eight years in a row, they can win it again,” he said.
“But they’ve probably been the team of the top three that have had the toughest test. I don’t doubt they will bounce back, they always seem to.
“I’m sure they’re probably sandbagging a little bit as well, but I think they may be a bit upstaged so far, by Ferrari and by Red Bull,” Palmer concluded.
