How external factors have disguised the true scale of Mercedes' turnaround task

Mercedes has been considered the best of the rest behind Ferrari and Red Bull in the early stages of the 2022 Formula 1 campaign, but delving into the supertimes third place could be considered lenient – with worse to follow unless it solves its ongoing problems

Matt Kew Apr 19, 2022, 8:23 AM

Upd: Apr 19, 2022, 8:58 AM

The porpoising Mercedes W13 has proved no match for the rapid Ferrari and Red Bull creations at the start of this ground-effect sequel for Formula 1. But the perception has been the team is a safe third, comfortably ahead of the shining lights of the midfield. There’s also an assumption that it’s only a matter of time before the three-pointed star unlocks the car and bounces back into contention for race wins. However, after three rounds in 2022, those causes for optimism must come with major health warnings.

At no point has Mercedes looked on the cusp of snatching a pole or victory so far this term. For an outfit that won eight constructors’ titles on the bounce, and for seven of those years also sewed up the drivers’ crown as a sign of its turbo-hybrid imperiousness, this is the leanest start to a season since 2011. That reinforces why Mercedes wanted to check expectations during testing, despite many supposing the Silver Arrows squad was merely bluffing.

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Author Matt Kew

Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.