The lack of development reared its head as a potential safety issue with three failures during the 2020 British Grand Prix, and so the FIA decided to peg back the development of all teams by tweaking the aero rules for 2021. Tyre supplier Pirelli was working towards a completely new type of tyre to go with the new regulations initially planned for 2021 but then delayed to 2022, and therefore had not developed the 2020 tyres. This was a no-brainer as the 2020 car was clearly quick enough to win the championship without a huge amount of development and, as part of the delay in the new rules, teams were forbidden to work on aerodynamic development of the all-new car for 2022.īut during the 2020 season a spanner was thrown in the works that upset Mercedes' three-year plan. When the season finally got underway in July, the world champions immediately had a significant performance advantage, which allowed it to switch development focus to 2021 early in the season. In many ways, Mercedes was in the best position to deal with these changes at the start of 2020.
For the top teams that has significantly reduced the amount of resources they can spend, meaning any development of this year's car is directly eating into development of the 2022 car. However, in order to save the teams from themselves during uncertain times, F1 and its governing body, the FIA, decided to delay the new rules to 2022 and effectively allow the teams to continue in 2021 with their 2020 cars.įorm a cost saving point of view, the decision to delay the new rules happily coincided with the introduction of a budget cap for 2021, meaning the spending of every team on the grid is now capped at $145 million for the year. Had Formula One not been forced to find ways to save money as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year would have seen the introduction of a brand new set of regulations and a grid of new-look F1 cars. So is Mercedes really giving up on 2021 already? Mercedes' dilemma
RED BULL F1 2021 UPGRADE
Yet listening to team boss Toto Wolff on Sunday, that upgrade isn't coming. we've got to find some performance from somewhere." Hamilton, meanwhile, had no answer for Verstappen's performance at the Styrian Grand Prix, and after stepping out of his car, said, "We need an upgrade of some sort, we need to push. The reward was the team's most comprehensive victory of the year at its home circuit on Sunday and an 18-point lead in the drivers' championship for Max Verstappen. Red Bull has emerged with the faster car of the top two teams after winning the last four races, while Mercedes, which has not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix in early May, is not planning to bring another major upgrade.īy contrast, Red Bull has been pushing hard with its own development, making steps with both its aerodynamic package and its Honda engine at the last two rounds. On the face of it, things don't look good for Lewis Hamilton's title challenge after eight rounds of the 2021 season. Why 2022 is complicating Mercedes' 2021 fight with Red Bull You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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