Why Red Bull No Longer Have an Advantage Over Mercedes F1 at Silverstone?

Over the past few races, Red Bull have been in excellent form and took the championship lead. However, ahead of this weekend’s British Grand Prix, some have suggested that Mercedes could bounce back. According to former F1 driver Marc Surer, there is a simple explanation behind Red Bull’s recent red hot form.

Surer said, “The Honda engine always runs well at high altitudes. In Mexico they drove in circles around the others. In Brazil it also always went well.

“Now we have the Red Bull Ring as a track that is also at around 700 meters. The thin air seems to help the engine.”

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Another theory is that Honda’s turbo blades are larger than Mercedes’ own turbo blades. Owing to this, the Mercedes W12 performs better at a normal altitude.

Surer admitted that it was just a theory; however, there is evidence backing it up. According to him, past races have shown that a higher altitude benefits the Honda engine.

Where does Mercedes have the advantage over Red Bull?

As per Surer’s analysis, the one thing that the Mercedes team enjoys is the track layout. Since the W12 has a long wheelbase, it excels in the long corners.

In other words, the car is a lot quieter and more well-behaved. This is why a track like Silverstone will greatly benefit the Mercedes team.

Now the big question is, will Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton get their season back on track? Or will the Red Bull freight train continue steamrolling over everyone?

To make things even spicier, there are the likes of McLaren and Ferrari who could be dark horses. Of course, everyone is aware that this weekend will be a special one because F1 is trialing a new format. To be precise, F1 is introducing the sprint race system to decide the grid for Sunday’s race.

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