Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher: How Mercedes must respond to the competition

The figures speak for themselves: Mercedes has secured eight Grand Prix victories in the first eleven rounds of the World Championship, and the team leads the championship by 72 points ahead of its nearest rival, Ferrari. The third-placed McLaren team is already 159 points behind the leaders. And Red Bull Racing is already 202 points behind the championship leader.

The gaps in the drivers’ championship are slightly smaller. Ferrari star Lewis Hamilton has closed the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to just 50 points, whilst George Russell, in the second Mercedes, has scored 160 points, leaving him 59 championship points behind his faster team-mate. Hardly anyone had expected this before the season began; after all, the Briton is already in his eighth Formula 1 season, whilst this is only Antonelli’s second year in the World Championship.

Former Grand Prix driver and current TV pundit Ralf Schumacher also admitted in an interview with ‘Sky Sport’, when asked what his personal surprise of the season had been: ‘I’d say quite clearly: the resurgence of Mercedes and, of course, Kimi Antonelli, the shooting star of the year. It was perhaps a bit predictable, but the fact that Kimi is performing so well and keeping his cool is truly incredible.”

What makes Antonelli worthy of the world title

And the 51-year-old, who made 180 Grand Prix starts and won six races between 1997 and 2007, explains: “What definitely makes Antonelli world champion material is that he can get a bit more out of the car than, say, George Russell at the moment.»

However, the German warns, with an eye on the competition that could be closing in: “Mercedes must come up with updates now. McLaren is closing the gap, and Ferrari is capable of winning races. It’s going to be a tight fight. And you must never underestimate Red Bull Racing with Max Verstappen either, even if the car is still a bit tricky. So something needs to happen at Mercedes now after the summer break.”

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