Mercedes started the season the way they had competed in most of 2014, with a 1-2. This wasn’t a big surprise, as pre-season testing had shown they had solid pace and reliability, whilst most of the other teams were struggling with one or the other, or in some cases both. What did seem to surprise, or more, concern many, is the perception that the rest of the grid are further behind Mercedes. In this article, we shall explore the question; Have Mercedes Widened The Gap?
There are many people stating that it is only the first race of the season, and that Melbourne isn’t as good an indicator on judging on how the season will progress due to its differences to most of the other circuits on the grid. The belief is that it will not be until Malaysia that we will really see what the story is. In that case, I shall compare last year and this year’s Australian Grand Prix. It pretty difficult to compare qualifying as the weather conditions were different. Last year’s qualifying was interrupted with rain, whilst this year’s was totally dry. However, since both year’s Q1 was under similar weather conditions, we can see how much Mercedes were ahead. In 2014, they didn’t top the time-sheets at all, with Lewis Hamilton getting 6th, and Nico Rosberrg 10th. Of course, they were saving their speed for the later stages of qualifying, and their tyres for the race, however it was a different outcome this time out. They locked out the front row in all three sessions, and by quite some gap too. In Q3, the nearest driver to the Mercedes was Felipe Massa in the Williams, who finished over 1.3 seconds off pole setter Hamilton, and nearly 0.8 seconds off Rosberg. Last year, in the rain, Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo was able to split up the Mercedes, but was over two seconds off the pace this time out. The only team who seemed closer to the Mercedes was Ferrari, but it was only by less than two tenths, and not forgetting that these were different weather conditions.
Race day saw the same dry conditions over both years, so we have a good reference to see how the teams compared on race pace. Last year, Hamilton had engine problems from the start, and had to retire by the second lap, so we shall look at Rosberg’ performance against the field. As in qualifying, Mercedes had a bigger advantage over all of the teams this time out, apart from the Ferraris They ended up lapping the field up to fifth position, while in the previous year, Rosberg lapped the field up to tenth position. There is an argument that this year Rosberg was chasing Hamilton, and exerting the car more than the previous year, where all he had to do was drive it home after Hamilton’s retirement.
Even so, it is apparent on comparing last year’s and this year’s race that there does seem to be a bigger gap between Mercedes and rest of the grid. Why is that? First of all lets start with Mercedes. They have shown that they have mastered this new era of F1, and that they are constantly upgrading and improving their car at a higher rate than much of the field. The seeds of this were sown as early as 2011, and this long term plan is very much reaping its rewards now. Their rivals are not at the same stage. Ferrari have had a massive overhaul in change with a new driver, team principal, and even a new chairman. Whilst they have looked to made major leaps in performance, they are still a team in transition, and will probably take until next year before we see an consistent challenge from them. McLaren are even further behind in their programme, as they have inherited a new engine supplier, in the shape of Honda. With this being their first year in F1 under the new regulations, they are effectively a year behind everyone, and not much is expected of them till later on in the season. The team, and more so the engine, that has shocked the most with how much they have fallen further behind Mercedes is Red Bull and Renault. As reported by Red Bull’s Team Principal, Christian Horner, the engine is “undriveable”, and Ricciardo, who finished second in last year’s race, only to be disqualified over a fuel discrepancy, could only muster up sixth place, finishing behind a Sauber, which is still reported to be using last year’s chassis, and lapped by both the Mercedes. We also can’t forget about the other teams using Mercedes engines. Williams, who finished the season looking the most likely to challenge Mercedes, lost their star driver Valterri Bottas before the race, due to back problems sustained in qualifying. Lotus, who looked impressive in testing, had both cars out by lap two, so it unclear to know where both these teams stand yet. Force India have had major financial issues, and with the lack of testing they participated in, not much is expected of them straight away.
So have Mercedes widened the gap? At the moment they have. However, as stated, this is just the first race of the season, and on a track that doesn’t characterise much of the other circuits on the calender. With 19 more races to come, there is plenty opportunities for the rest of the pack to close up the gap. Mercedes will welcome the chase though, and with their engine efficiency, and large budget to upgrade, could the gap be even wider come Abu Dhabi?
Main Photo JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images
