The Mercedes F1 team has been through a lot in recent times. They had to go through a downfall and are still looking for redemption. It is safe to say they are no longer a contender for the two titles this year. Albeit, it has been only three Grands Prix that have witnessed the Mercedes W14 car causing all sorts of trouble for the team. But Red Bull has already proved that they are the best on the grid because of their vehicle. The RB19 is the fastest car at present, and it is helping Red Bull stay at the top of the table without any real challenge from other teams. Mercedes has been well aware of the fact that their arch-rival has got the better of them.
At present, the Silver Arrows are focusing on beating Ferrari and Aston Martin. Other than Red Bull, Ferrari was the only real competition to Mercedes last season. However, since the start of this season, Aston Martin has proved to be a worthy opponent to Mercedes and Ferrari. If that was not enough, another team is gearing up to take the challenge to the German team. Alpine F1 team is trying to be another threat to Mercedes. They had a pretty good season last year, as they finished fourth after getting ahead of McLaren. But looks like Alpine wants to compete with the Silver Arrows directly to finish third this year.
Mercedes Has A New Threat Coming In The Form Of Alpine
As Red Bull is already too far ahead, Team Alpine’s main aim is to beat Aston Martin. However, even AMR23 has taken its team pretty far from Alpine’s reach. Hence, Alpine has set Mercedes as their target to beat to win third place in the constructor’s title. Otmar Szafnauer, the Alpine boss, is hopeful that with new upgrades from Baku and Miami, their car will get a major boost.
Otmer mentioned that last year their development rate was pretty impressive. Furthermore, Szafnauer acknowledged, “It is a relative game.” The Alpine boss is well aware of what upgrade awaits them in Baku and Miami. But he is not too sure what kind of upgrade Mercedes is hoping to get in Imola. Mercedes is really waiting for the sixth Grand Prix in Italy this year for the major modifications. Then it will be interesting to know if Alpine can compete against Mercedes.
Alpine Has Gone Far Behind Aston Martin
But a major hindrance to that plan is the rise of Aston Martin with two-time champion Fernando Alonso steering the wheel. The oldest driver on the grid is trying his best to challenge Red Bull, thanks to Aston Martin’s AMR23 car this season. It has been super fast and helped Aston Martin’s significant rise to the top three of the table.
Mercedes is coping to deal with Aston Martin, and if a new threat emerges in the form of Alpine, things will only get more difficult. Alpine is currently the sixth team on the table behind McLaren. On the other hand, Red Bull has won all the races of the driver’s and constructor’s championships so far. Hence, the Austrian team is leading both lists by a significant margin.