Mercedes are fearful the new tyres and aerodynamic changes coming for the 2021 Formula 1 season could hurt the W11’s performance.
Due to the impact of Covid-19 last year, it was agreed key elements of the cars, including the chassis, would be carried over for this year, with each team only getting two development tokens to upgrade areas not frozen.
As a result, the expectation is the pecking order will remain largely unchanged with Mercedes continuing as the fastest team on the grid.
However, with Red Bull closing the gap later in the season, a more competitive season is also possible and technical director James Allison does see enough to potentially upset their car.
“We are very happy with the mechanical platform,” he told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.
“She puts the tyres in the window where they work best in most races. The car is reliable, the engine is excellent, the car is well balanced and the aerodynamics go well with the mechanics. That’s a good foundation.
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“Still, we have fears. There is a new tyre next year, which came as a bit of a surprise. We had some clues about this tyre at Portimao, but since it was a blind test on a completely new track, it wasn’t very illuminating.
“We got better information in the last two races. We will use the data to learn whether the tire fits our mechanical and aerodynamic platform as well as it did before.
“The second concern is how the new aerodynamic rules will play out,” Allison added, with the biggest changes coming to the floor and diffuser with the aim of cutting downforce by around 10-15%.
“These aerodynamic changes are pretty big, so big that we can’t assume that our platform will automatically continue to work this well.”
The new Pirelli tyres for 2021 have been less than well-received, with drivers claiming they have less grip, are too heavy and don’t solve any of the overheating issues that have always blighted the Italian supplier’s products.
However, after several failures across the season, Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies backed their introduction despite the potential challenges.
“We know this tyre is done for better safety, so that’s the way it is,” he said.
“We all want safety, we all want to push as hard as we can without having to be concerned about the tyre safety and I think that’s what Pirelli has done. So, yes, it comes with less grip and we don’t like less grip, but if it’s the price you have to pay to get it, I’m sure it’s fine.
“The tricky bit with these tyres is that, yes, they have less grip, but they also come with balance shifts through the corners and it will probably mean quite a bit of head-scratching over the winter to see how best to go about it.”
