F1 | Mercedes more determined than ever, does not want to leave even crumbs to its rivals

Busier and hungrier than ever. Mercedes, not at all satisfied, has sent out more than one signal this winter that should seriously worry its rivals. Ferrari and Red Bull risk remaining prisoners of their dreams, because in Brackley they have no intention of giving up the scepter of queen of the Circus and, indeed, what has transpired is a certain annoyance at not having excelled in all areas in 2019.

For the three-pointed star, having lost the lead as an engine engineer - with a few too many difficulties demonstrated on the power unit front - was an incentive to revolutionize the engine unit, working hard to return to dictating the pace in terms of cavalry and efficiency. Apparently the new engine also caused some problems during the assembly phase, but in Brixworth the optimism of better times reigns.

James Allison, the team's technical director, also stated how the team has been working on the 2020 single-seater since the end of 2018. The W11, therefore, is a project that starts from afar, with the precise aim of killing the last championship before the regulatory revolution.

Never like this time, in this long winter, has Mercede seemed more alive than ever. Not comfortably resting on its laurels, after years of extraordinary successes, but surprisingly dynamic, constantly evolving. Stuttgart first extinguished any rumors of a forthcoming withdrawal from the top category, and then signed agreements with two other new sponsors (AMD and Ineos) without hiding regarding the thorny issue of Lewis Hamilton's renewal.

The English driver is a linchpin of the team, the central axis around which the triumphs and above all the records (team and individual) of recent years revolve. Records that are the goal and obsession of the team and driver. Hamilton and Mercedes is a pairing that is difficult to separate, closely linked by a full convergence of ideas and ambitions. The best team with the best driver and there is no better magic formula to keep winning in F1. This is why the contract extension negotiations will likely end in a positive way, and it is difficult to imagine Hamilton elsewhere in the near future.

The English driver is the standard bearer, spokesperson and embodiment of the atavistic hunger of the team directed by Toto Wolff. He has never trained like he did this winter, he has never been so "bold" and combative in his statements, excited and not at all worried by the generational comparison with the new recruits Verstappen and Leclerc. The prospect of reaching Schumacher in the number of victories and world titles won is a driving force capable of making him overcome any obstacle.

On the eve of the tests, while in Red Bull they are convinced that they can finally be ready for the championship fight and in Ferrari they preach a certain prudence hoping to have solved the aerodynamic defects of the SF90, Mercedes makes it known that they have worked for almost two years on the W11, has a champion who is more motivated than ever and in splendid shape, has intervened drastically on the power unit front and has reiterated that he wants to stay in F1 for a long time.

Not that you already need to bandage your head, but breaking it against the wall in Stuttgart could really be a moment, just long enough to find yourself in Australia in the presence of a team that not only starts from where it finished, but does so with a renewed desire to amaze and dominate.

Antonino Rendina

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