‘PU deficit means Merc can’t camouflage bad weekends’

Mercedes are in a new position this season, and not a welcome one, with Jacques Villeneuve saying they can no longer hide bad weekends with a “strong engine”.

After eight years at the sharp end of the grid, Lewis Hamilton wasn’t able to make it out of Q1 at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit on Saturday night, the Briton eliminated from qualifying on pure pace, or lack thereof.

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His team-mate George Russell did make it through, qualifying P6, with both Mercedes drivers in the points on Sunday night.

However, it was by no means what Mercedes are used to, Russell fifth and Hamilton scrapping through for a single point for tenth place.

“It is clear,” Villeneuve says in his latest Formule1.nl column, “Mercedes has fallen from its pedestal.

“For years they were superior, bad weekends could be camouflaged by their strong engine, but that is no longer the case.

“It will be interesting what the response will be in the team, because Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton are not used to this.”

K-Mag Hamilton

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According to reports in the German media, the Mercedes W13 is down by as much as half a second on the Ferrari and Red Bull cars with