After the season opener in Melbourne, besides the complaints about the regulations, the discussions mainly centred around one other aspect: Mercedes finally showing its real strength. Toto Wolff said after George Russell’s victory that his team still “has a fight on our hands” with Ferrari, but under the radar there are several signals that Mercedes stood well above the rest at Albert Park.
The opening phase was probably closer than anticipated, but that had to do with the nature of the regulations as well. It has become a matter of yo-yoing in terms of energy management: if a driver overtakes an opponent, they often pay a price for it on the straights that follow, which makes the chance of being countered higher than ever before.
