Formula 1 chief Ross Brawn believes that Ferrari’s performance in Bahrain will act as a “wake-up call” for reigning champions Mercedes.
Mercedes took its second successive 1-2 finish to open a sizeable 39-point advantage over Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship, with Valtteri Bottas edging Lewis Hamilton by a point in the Drivers’ standings.
But Mercedes was comprehensively out-performed in terms of pace by Ferrari throughout the weekend, and picked up its 1-2 in the wake of Charles Leclerc’s SF90 suffering a suspected cylinder loss.
“If you record two one-two finishes in the first two races, you should be in seventh heaven, believing you have dealt a severe blow to your rivals’ hopes,” said Brawn, who oversaw Mercedes’ F1 operations from 2010 through 2013.
“Mercedes boss Toto Wolff openly admitted that while it had somewhat unexpectedly finished ahead of the rest in Melbourne, practically unchallenged, it was a very different story in Bahrain.
“If it hadn’t have been for Leclerc’s loss of power, Hamilton would have had no chance of attacking the Ferrari, nor would Bottas have finished second, a result that means he keeps his championship lead.
“Mercedes are aware of the real situation and they have to fight back against what is clearly a very competitive Ferrari this year.
“If you’ve won everything since 2014 there’s a risk of resting on one’s laurels but Bahrain will have been a wake-up call that they will not be ignoring as they hold their de-briefs at home this week.”
Brawn was also full of praise for Leclerc’s handling of the weekend and the youngster’s reaction to losing the lead.
“The way in which he regained the lead after a handful of laps [after the start], the skill with which he managed his tyres in what was a particularly difficult race due to the blustery sandy conditions, was majestic,” said Brawn.
“I also appreciated how composed he was in dealing with what happened at the end of the race.
“That showed a great deal of maturity, a trait that will serve him well in the future.
“Charles truly deserved a win and the consolation of this first podium finish and I am sure he will be back on top very soon.”
