2014 saw Mercedes absolutely dominate F1. 2015 saw Mercedes somehow top that domination by delivering an even more dominant season. The new car – the Mercedes F1 2016 W07 Hybrid is a clear evolution of the predecessor but it has some very striking new features. We are yet to see whether this will provide a similar step forward as we saw between the W05 and the W06, but from a neutral perspective, we should hope not. There were some areas where Mercedes were not fully drilled however last year, such as drivers dictating the strategy (which should not happen) and the odd reliability niggle here and there. Should their two drivers squabble too much, they could see the title slip away to a certain man in red.
The Drivers
Lewis Hamilton
2007-2012: McLaren
2013-: Mercedes
2008, 2014, 2015 F1 World Champion
Lewis Hamilton dominated the campaign last year but seemed to go off the boil a little bit as the season went on – most notably after the summer break and more so when the tyre pressure regulations were changed. He is going to need to find the sort of momentum which he started 2015 with, but that is far from a given. He could have to fight off not one but two serious championship contenders too, which will certainly add to the pressure on Hamilton. Whilst many will argue that he should not have such a notable social life, it has always seemed in F1 that a happy Lewis Hamilton is a fast Lewis Hamilton.
Nico Rosberg
2006-2009: Williams
2010-: Mercedes
2014, 2015 F1 runner up
Nico Rosberg only really came to real form in 2015 when it was far too late. Nonetheless, he dominated the final few races of the year and that will buoy him heading into this year. Sebastian Vettel is arguably going to be a huge threat this year, so Rosberg may need to divert his attention at times to beating a Ferrari as well as the other Mercedes. In his 11th season in F1 now, Rosberg is likely to play an integral part in what could be an epic three-way scrap for the championship.
Testing
Mercedes’ reliability was almost scarily good in testing. It was better than the team or the drivers had predicted, and as a result, the team had to rotate their drivers to ensure that neither got fatigued ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. They completed by far more distance than anybody else and they were often the team to do more mileage than anybody else on any given day.
Prediction
I fear that Mercedes has indeed stepped up yet another gear in 2016. They have shown to be both quick and reliable throughout testing and the car is quite clearly a huge step forward in all areas. Regardless of whether their squabbling may cost one of their drivers or the other the Drivers’ Championship, it seems highly likely that they will brush off Ferrari for the other. It would be highly surprising if they finished anywhere other than first.
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