F1: Can Anyone Stop Mercedes?

[Paul Jeffrey]

The Mercedes Formula One team are enjoying an unbeaten start to 2019 - heading into the Canadian Grand Prix, can anyone stop the unstoppable?

With either Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas pretty much guaranteed to take home the World Drivers Championship this year, and with the Constructors title pretty much already wrapped up, can anyone take the challenge to Mercedes in 2019, or is the fight already over?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

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[hablom1977]

Even if Ferrari had 3 cars driving for championship points, they wouldn't catch Mercedes

 

[BP]

Let's put it this way...Last year after Monaco, Mercedes was ahead of Ferrari with a score of 178 - 156.
This Year's score: Mercedes - 257, Ferrari - 139...After only 6 races. Merc's score is almost double the prancing horse's.

Even though I voted yes, anything can happen with 2/3 of the season left...however, It's very unlikely the way things have been going. Ferrari's strategists need a swift kick in the behind for the blunders they've had this year.

 

[GTSpeedster]

No idea why anyone haven't still stopped watching this farce.

 

[BP]

Sidenote: the title to this article reminds me of the old Batman TV shows...and I don't even think Adam West could save Ferrari's tail at this point.

Tune in next year to see what happens next...same bat time...same bat channel!

 

[BP]

No idea why anyone haven't still stopped watching this farce.

Thing is, I don't think F1 is any more a farce than decades past...it's just, to put it bluntly: Ferrari ain't s#!%

How do you get millions more than all other teams "just for being Ferrari", and can't build a car that decisively kicks everyone's tail? Or hire the smartest engineers and strategists in motorsport? I'd say both teams are nearly equal in driver talent (With Merc having the slight advantage)...so it mostly boils down to mismanagement across the board IMO.

All the big teams have had their days in the sun, right now it's the silver arrow's turn, let them enjoy it.

 

[mantasisg]

IMO game over for F1. Time to accept that everything has been achieved, current formula has been perfected, Merc won, unsurprisingly as they were pretty much best since the beginning of automobile.

It is time to stop. Or completely change the requirements for Formula cars. And just refresh it.

 

[Cote Dazur]

Game over, Mercedes already won.

 

[Honso]

Merc won, unsurprisingly as they were pretty much best since the beginning of automobile.

lel... probably u mean since hybrid-motors, but anyway - FORZA FERRARI

 

[mantasisg]

lel... probably u mean since hybrid-motors, but anyway - FORZA FERRARI

Silver arrows before ww2. Then dominated soon after come back after ww2. Took a long break due to safety issues after 1955 lemans shock. Was very competitive as it came back. Spent a decade or so away from wins in F1, and now probably will hit a decade of domination.

 

[Deleted member 561801]

As always, Mercedes will prevail as usual. Ferrari should wake up a bit more if they want maybe to have the chance to win the championship.

 

[UMC 22]

I misread the question (seeing catchable instead of uncatchable) and voted no.

They're not catchable, put simply. Mercedes cars are far, far too reliable for numerous mechanical non-finishes to be a viable way for Ferrari to catch up. Their drivers are far, far too good for error-related non-finishes to be a factor either. In addition, even Ferrari themselves are now saying they've probably designed themselves into a corner that they won't be able to escape from this season. Put it all together and you have Mercedes winning a sixth consecutive title. Sure, "anything can happen", but realistically they probably have a 98.9% chance of winning.

Do I mind? Yes and no. It certainly gets boring being able to predict the result of a race before it has even started, but as someone else has pointed out, dominant teams have always been part of F1. Few and far between are seasons that truly go down to the wire and are won by just a point or two.

I think it's more about motorsports in general being more accessible to the general public, meaning people can compare genuinely close racing in other categories to the procession that is F1 more easily these days.

 

[BrettSinclair1]

As much as I dislike Mercedes, I want them to win every race this season. If I cannot watch an interesting season, at least I want to witness history.

 

[GP20]

Renault will.

They are pushing hard.

 

[falster]

No idea why anyone haven't still stopped watching this farce.

....i dont know.... perhaps theyre still able to watch something theyve loved for years, through good and bad, whilst still being able to see that its not necessarily always been at its best, regardless of other peoples opinions of..."i dont like this...i think its rubbish....therefore you should feel the same and if you dont youre an idiot..."?

i dont know......just my humble opinion, i guess its always you know....easier to be negative about stuff than positive. certainly on the internet.

 

[Atticvs]

It's already over in terms of the championship and most race wins.

Montreal might just be the exception though, because this track is very similar to Bahrain with the only constellation of conditions where Ferrari can match Mercedes - it's about the circuit being so rear-limited that most teams deliberately set their cars up with a bit of inherent understeer just to protect the rear tyres, which just happens to be the default state of Ferrari's flawed design. With both cars on the same page, and if it's a power track as well, Ferrari might just have a small pace advantage.

But Bahrain and Montreal are the only tracks where this constellation holds - Sochi as well, in terms of layout, but that's so low on tyre wear that the rears are going to hold on anyway. Monaco, Singapore and Abu Dhabi are off the list too, because, although they're severely rear-limited, they're not power tracks.

 

[GTSpeedster]

....i dont know.... (...) i dont know......

Your subconscious is clearly trying to tell you something.

 

[Scalage]

I don't think the series is necessarily done. With the cost cap coming in 2021, things could change a lot. I can see the gap between F1 and F1.5 becoming a hell of a lot closer in the worst case scenario. Mercedes will have to cut their budget in half in a year with significant rule changes. Fingers crossed.

 

[falster]

Your subconscious is clearly trying to tell you something.

And your highly self opinionated character is drowning it out.

this is why i very rarely come here, because its filled with 50% nonsense and various berks trying to tell you your opinion is wrong, and will go to great lengths, without being asked i might add, to tell you why, even when you gave them the respect they dont give you, of not even trying to give them any advice on their opinion. Which they are of course entitled to and noone is trying to change that.

unlike themselves

 

[callumjtc]

As much as I dislike Mercedes, I want them to win every race this season. If I cannot watch an interesting season, at least I want to witness history.

Can we make it Bottas winning the rest?