After a four-week break, Mercedes is readying to head back into battle with Red Bull at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The reigning champions hold narrow leads in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings heading into the second half of 2021, this following a pair of Lap 1 collisions at Silverstone and Hungaroring which saw a significant points swing in their favour.
But while the momentum may currently be with Mercedes, team boss Toto Wolff is in no doubt that Red Bull and Max Verstappen remain a very significant threat.
“This has definitely been one of the most intense F1 seasons that I can remember, so far,” said the Austrian ahead of the trip to the Ardennes.
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“The battle is far from over and after a few weeks away from the track, we’re all really excited to get back to work.”
In fact, while most of the attention was on the Lap 1 collisions, Mercedes were also buoyed by the performance gains made at the pair of races before the summer break.
“We head to Spa-Francorchamps in a good position,” Wolff added. “We lead both championships and the W12 feels in a better place after the upgrades introduced at Silverstone and an encouraging showing in Hungary.
“But we know there is a long road ahead and so much can still happen in this season of ups and downs.
“Spa is a track that we all know and love, one of the true F1 classics with its iconic corners, long-flat out sections and beautiful scenery.
“It’s a hugely challenging track for both the drivers and the cars, with the longest lap of the season, lots of elevation change and some very high g-forces.
“The weather is also notoriously unpredictable at Spa and always throws a curveball our way. With the Belgian Grand Prix always producing exciting and fun racing, it’s the perfect place to start the second half of the season. Bring it on!”
As for Lewis Hamilton, he too was hopeful Mercedes had unlocked some much-needed pace after bouncing back from their longest run without a win in the hybrid era between the Monaco and French GPs.
“I hope so, I really hope so,” the Briton said. “I tell you it’s definitely been a hard slog for us in terms of trying to close up to those guys (Red Bull) with their update, they had I think a combination of things but they took a really good step.
“Monaco onwards was intense and our upgrade [at Silverstone] really has worked. Then we’ve just been working on our procedure through the weekend and trying to extract more from the car and I think now we’re a lot closer.
“[Hungary was] very strong and definitely surprising to see how strong it is compared to them so proud of everyone back at the factory, as I said, who continue to not give up.
“We never give up. We keep pushing and fighting and I’m so honoured to be able to race for a team like this and we learn from these mistakes. We wish they didn’t happen, but it’s not how you fall, it’s how you get back up.”
