Mercedes fire warning to Red Bull: ‘There’s no reason why it won’t happen...'

It’s been contrasting fortunes for the two teams that went head-to-head for the 2021 title.

Since the introduction of F1’s new aero regulations, Red Bull have won all but five races, while Mercedes have just one victory to their name.

Red Bull are on course to win their third straight drivers’ title with Max Verstappen, who has a 69-point lead over Sergio Perez.

Mercedes are still some way off them, although their recent upgrade package has seen them enjoy a mini-resurgence in form.

Speaking to German publication AMuS, Allison is confident Mercedes can challenge Red Bull in the very near future.

“I keep saying it internally: there’s no reason why it won’t happen this season, as long as we’re able to keep improving our car,”

“The challenge is to do that and at the same time build up enough knowledge so that we can do it next season right from the start.”

Allison also explained how Mercedes have managed to turn their car around, particularly with regards to ride control.

“Let me give you a brief insight into the development history of this car. Last year’s model was designed with the naïve assumption that we could drive it as low as possible, then we found out that wasn’t possible,” Allison explained.

“When we had to go higher, we were a good bit outside the range where the aerodynamics work optimally.

“On certain tracks with flat surfaces, we were able to drive it closer to the conditions the car was designed for.

“As the season went on, we learned how to get a bit more out of the car by going higher. That’s why we were a bit better off at the end of 2022.

“This year we have a little bit better handle on how low we can go before we get into trouble. We’re not perfect there yet, but we’re getting closer to perfection.”