Mercedes under fire: 'Antonelli responsible for painful Red Bull-like problem'

In the fourth and final year of the current regulations, Mercedes are still to understand their car, despite flashes of performance that indicated otherwise, and now they may slip into a notoriously dangerous F1 territory.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, former F1 driver and current F1TV analyst Jolyon Palmer praised Mercedes driver George Russell's current season.

“I think Russell’s driving at an incredibly high level at the moment."

And it is precisely the Brit's performance in contrast with that if his rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli that may push them into a Red Bull-like scenario, where one driver carries the full weight of the team's results on their shoulders.

Palmer warned: “They’re becoming a one-man team at the moment."

"They need to try and get Antonelli firing again to try and overhaul Ferrari in the championship."

'Deceitful' Mercedes' excuse debunked

One of Mercedes' go-to reasons for not being consistent is their predilection for cooler temperatures, Palmer observed, though, that Mercedes doesn't 'revive' every time low temperatures affect the Grands Prix.

Bottom line? It's the same ground effect struggle for the Germans, the British analyst believes: "Same old story: they need to understand what’s making their car tick.

“They always have these flash points. Ever since 2022, they’ll have these moments and you’re like: ‘They’ve got it, they’ve understood the car. Finally, Mercedes are back.’

“And lo and behold, they’re not and they still are trying to understand what’s going on with the car.”