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Is Red Bull already comparable to Mercedes' peak years?

Is Red Bull already comparable to Mercedes' peak years?

07-10-2022 13:35
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GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing is by far the most dominant team on the grid this season. In both the world championship and the constructors' standings, it is more than 100 points ahead of its rivals, which means it will take both to itself. The comparison with Mercedes, which for years managed to keep the other teams behind, is therefore quickly drawn. But is Red Bull really already as far ahead as the German formation was in its prime? We examine that using a number of pillars, taking 2019 as well as 2020 as Mercedes' peak years.

Podium places

Seventeen race weekends have taken place so far this season, in which 51 podium finishes have been at stake. Of these, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez collectively managed to finish on the podium 21 times, making for a 41.2 per cent percentage. It is an excellent result from Red Bull, but Mercedes, which then had Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas at its disposal, managed to do even better in the top years. In 2019, Mercedes grabbed 50.8 per cent of the podiums, compared to 49 per cent a year later.

Reliability

In terms of reliability, Toto Wolff's team also managed to do a lot better than Red Bull in both years. In 2019, the formation managed to drop out twice and once respectively. An important detail here is that Hamilton, who took the world title both seasons, did not cross the finish line either year. For Bottas, 2019 involved a crash once, while the other two times the engine got in the way of success. Red Bull could not prevent Verstappen and Perez from dropping out five times in total this calendar year, more than once involving technical problems.

Power

Red Bull may be far ahead of the competition this year, but Ferrari still has the most powerful engine. However, with a difference of reportedly four horsepower, the Austrian racing stable is certainly not far behind Ferrari. During Mercedes' 'golden years', however, the difference was a lot bigger. Both years, Mercedes managed to develop an engine that gave it as much as 20 to 30 hp more. It thus did Hamilton and Bottas a good service.

Leading

Red Bull is hardly under pressure in the world championship this season. Verstappen's lead has increased to 104 points over Charles Leclerc, meaning he can still afford to make several mistakes. Hamilton became champion twice with a bigger lead, 135 and 133 points over Max Verstappen. However, Valtteri Bottas was still between them both years, once again highlighting Mercedes' dominance.

Looking at the constructors' championship, Mercedes also outperformed Red Bull. With 137 points, the Austrians have a lot of air for the last five Grands Prix, but that is nothing compared to Mercedes' lead. In 2019, this was 235 points over Ferrari, while a year later it was 254 points.

Conclusion

It should be clear that Red Bull is by far the best team in Formula 1 this year, but the comparison with Mercedes clearly cannot be drawn yet. Especially with competition from Ferrari, Red Bull has a tough task ahead of it every weekend to beat its opponents. It only makes Verstappen and Perez's top performance more special. Moreover, this only seems to be positive for fans, as excitement is guaranteed in almost every race in 2022.

However, as the new regulations only apply this year, it cannot be ruled out that Red Bull's lead will only increase in the coming years. In doing so, however, it must first deal with struggling Ferrari, which does not seem to be giving up for the time being.