2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button claims the next two races can shift the balance in this year’s championship fight.
So far it has been a season of Mercedes domination with five one-two finishes and Lewis Hamilton pipping teammate Valtteri Bottas by three wins to two.
Up next, however, comes two often unpredictable Grands Prix which offer an opportunity for Ferrari and Red Bull to build some momentum.
“The great things is that we have Monaco up next,” Button told Sky F1.
“Monaco is probably a circuit at which they [Mercedes] are still probably going to be very quick, but you will have the Red Bulls, Max [Verstappen] is going to be there.
“If Max gets Saturday right and doesn’t shunt in qualifying we all know how quick he is, and especially around street circuits.
“So they’ll be there fighting with them.
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“Then we have Montreal, so the next couple of races [will be] definitely mixing it up and that changes the mindset of those teams and also of Mercedes’ drivers.
“I think it will definitely mix the championship up.”
Of the two races, it may actually be the Canadian Grand Prix which holds the most peril for Mercedes, where the power of Ferrari could pose a significant threat.
And it does feel likely that at some point the luck must change and the German manufacturer can’t keep having it their own way.
For the sake of keeping some interest in the title battle, let’s hope Button is right.
