Mercedes: "We are feeling the breath of our opponents on our shoulders"

Mercedes Formula 1 team are on the hunt for their seventh consecutive double F1 world championship in 2020. With plenty of focus required for the brand new 2021 car, the team considered taking their 2019 car into the current season. But they believe their rivals are closing the gap.

The 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix saw Lewis Hamilton produce one of his most dominant performances. James Allison, Mercedes' technical director, says the team contemplated developing this car but decided it wouldn't have been strong enough.

"We decided it wouldn't be enough. We were feeling the breath of our opponents on our shoulders. We know their hunger. We know if we don't do something impressive with this car, they'd eat us up and leave us behind. So we decided to do something aggressive," Allison said on the Mercedes youtube channel.

"Despite the fact there's no change in the regulations, we would take every part on the car and see if we can make it better."