Red Bull believes the era of Mercedes success is not over just yet despite their difficult start to the 2022 Formula 1 season.
The eight-time consecutive Constructors’ champions have begun this year trailing their 2021 rivals and a resurgent Ferrari as porpoising problems impact their W13 car.
While there have been a few digs in the media and on Twitter, Red Bull boss Christian Horner says he has “no feelings” about seeing Mercedes in significant trouble for the first time in the hybrid era.
Indeed, he maintains it is a matter of when, not if, F1 has a three-team battle at the front.
“I think when you watch their car on circuit it obviously doesn’t look easy for their drivers at the moment,” Horner told Formula1.com.
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“But what we do know is their ability to bounce back. I mean, they’ve had difficult pre-seasons before and then gone and won the first race.
“So I think until we’ve seen… a sample of three or four races, you’re not going to get a true picture of form and, of course, with the regulations being so immature, the development rate is going to be fast, it’s going to be steep.
“A team like Mercedes – with the strength and depth that they have – will bounce back very, very quickly if they are on the back foot.”
The impact of 2022’s new rules on Mercedes’ current performance could potentially be likened to 2014 when Red Bull’s own run of championships was ended by regulation changes.
But advisor Helmut Marko claims it is too early to compare them.
“You have to distinguish between the two,” he said via Formel1.de. “The era after 2013 was determined by the new engine regulations, and Mercedes had an incredible dominance in this field.
“They were up to two seconds ahead of everyone, but logically didn’t show it. Now with the change of chassis and engine-wise, the differences are not so big. Mercedes is no longer able to turn a knob and immediately stage a party.
“But the team is broadly positioned and it is also staffed with really top people in the chassis area.
“I’m fully convinced they’ll be back if they get the bouncing under control. And Lewis Hamilton is nine points behind [Max] Verstappen, so that’s nothing either.
“I don’t think it’s an end [of an era], but maybe it’s a fight on the same level,” the Austrian concluded.