Verstappen laughs at Mercedes' attitude towards Bahrain GP

Mercedes left an uncertain impression during the test days. The German racing team may have come up with upgrades for the side pods, but on speed Mercedes still wasn't on par with the competition. Max Verstappen, however, takes Mercedes' situation with a grain of salt, he tells Motorsport.com.

Lewis Hamilton indicated last week that he does not expect his team to be able to fight for the front places immediately in the first race in Bahrain. According to him, Mercedes are simply still searching for the right balance, while teams like Red Bull Racing and Ferrari are more advanced in developing the car.

Verstappen does not take his competitor's statements seriously. The Dutchman states that in recent years he often heard similar arguments from Mercedes in pre-season, but that the Germans were invariably there during the first race. He therefore expects Mercedes to compete for pole position in Bahrain.

The simple world champion explained that it is Mercedes' tactic to state one week prior to the new season that it is not yet ready. When the racing team then manages to get off to a strong start it would react with amazement.