Mercedes warns Red Bull: 'We can catch them this year'

Mercedes' technical director James Allison is confident about his team's developments. According to the Briton, the German team is catching up nicely and there is no reason why the racing stable could not overtake Red Bull as early as this year.

In Monaco, Mercedes presented a huge package of updates, including a new floor, suspension ánd sidepods, although the sidepods make little difference according to Allison, he told Auto, Motor und Sport. "The sidepods were not our problem and were completely separate from the changes to the floor or suspension. Soon we won't be talking about that, then our old sidepods will be just a vague memory."

According to the engineer, the W14 is now more stable under braking, making the front wheels less likely to lock up. The team has also found downforce. However, the rear of the car is still unstable, the Briton reveals. Mercedes does have to contend with the budget cap, which means it has to be careful with the available budgets. Earlier, the team could throw money around to make leaps and bounds as quickly as possible. "It is difficult, but other teams also suffer from that," the Mercedes chief argues.

Confidence is undiminished at the German team for now. Red Bull should be catchable: "I also keep saying internally: why couldn't it already happen this year? As long as we keep developing our car, there is no reason not to think that." The team is currently second in the constructors' championship, 199 points behind Red Bull. Aston Martin is just behind the Brackley-based team, just three points short.