MERCEDES POWER ON THE HORIZON
From the start of next season, Mclarenmercedes will again be an F1 force. It might not be the successful de facto works operation it once was, but Mclaren moving back to Stuttgart power after what will be six years away matters double for Ricciardo.
Mercedes power is still undefeated in the turbo hybrid era and, thanks to its controversial settlement with the FIA, Ferrari’s recent advantage in this area seems to be on the wane – if indications from a previous lifetime’s winter testing can be firmly believed right now. Mercedes’ engines are also generally more reliable than the current customer Renault units Mclaren is buying, despite the unusually high rate of attrition seen on the works car’s units and at Williams during 2020 pre-season testing.
Ultimately, Mclaren lost some big results to patchy reliability in 2019, and it’s worth remembering that Honda’s sketchy record was a factor in Ricciardo’s decision to jump ship from Red Bull to Renault in 2018 – a point to where his contact with Mclaren can also be traced.
From Mclaren’s perspective, it targeted a Mercedes reunion as part of its plan to move up the grid, which will have given Ricciardo added confidence. Mercedes also feels the new deal is beneficial. And the reunion is also unaffected by the regulatory decision to keep the 2020
cars effectively in service through 2021 as a coronavirus cost-saving measure. The MCL35 has even been granted dispensation to be altered to fit the Mercedes engine it was not designed to house. Indeed, Toto Wolff has already stated that his operation’s sole “risk” regarding this new arrangement is that Mclaren could become a direct competitor…
The big unknown in all of this from Ricciardo’s perspective is just where Mclaren sits in the current competitive order.
Judging by form and car behaviour in preseason testing, the 2020 Mclaren looks to be ahead of the Renault RS20, but behind present Mercedes customer Racing Point (soon to become Aston Martin), which appears to be leading the way in the midfield with its Mercedes W10-inspired design.
The abandonment of the Australian Grand Prix before it began means we have no unequivocal evidence to support this picture yet. Nevertheless, Ricciardo has clearly seen something in Mclaren’s makeup, even if he insists there was no single factor in his decision to leave Enstone and head for Woking.
“MCLAREN CAN ALSO NOW DEMONSTRATE CLEAR PROGRESS ON THE TRACK, WHILE RENAULT HAS GONE BACKWARDS”