Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is unsure whether Red Bull has gone a step backwards relative to its Formula 1 rivals despite admitting the gap at the top has been closed.
Red Bull’s dominance under the current ground effect regulations continued into the latest campaign as Max Verstappen cruised unopposed to four wins in five races.
But the Dutchman and Red Bull have been beaten across two of the previous four races and his two victories at Imola and in Montreal came with intense competition.
The grid’s convergence this term has seen Red Bull’s weaknesses become exposed as issues with kerb riding have come to light and made the team more vulnerable.
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison claimed Red Bull’s upgrades appeared to have been “downgrades” – a view that Christian Horner denied on two occasions.
While he would not be drawn on agreeing with his colleague’s comments, Wolff has taken the positives that the battle at the sharp end is becoming more competitive.
“The last few races were more difficult for them [Red Bull],” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “I think everybody has been taking good steps forward.
“There were two or three teams that could have potentially won the race [in Canada], maybe us not quite.
“I don’t know whether they’ve [Red Bull] taken a step backward. The most important thing is it [the gap] is shrinking.”
Along with Ferrari and McLaren, Mercedes made enough inroads through recent weeks to be able to claim pole position and a podium with George Russell in Canada.
But although Mercedes seems to have got a grasp on its revised W15 charger, Wolff is cautious about whether its renewed pace will translate to conventional circuits.
“I hope it [the performance in Canada] is not track-related,” he added. “Montreal is the outlier with that mid-range corner speed and change of directions.
“Overall, the drivers said the car is now in a space that they can push it, they have more confidence and everything comes much easier.”
Meanwhile, Wolff expects Red Bull to return to full form at the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix, which he believes will “be a good test because it has all sorts of corners”.
“Maybe Barcelona will be interesting, whether they are strong there,” he previewed.
“Austria is their territory. McLaren was strong there last year when they had their comeback. That’s never a good one for us.
“You can’t discount Max and the Red Bulls, they are still the benchmark, they are right up there.
“But McLaren has made huge steps, and don’t forget Ferrari, they were not visible [in Canada], but two weeks ago [in Monaco] they were the benchmark.
“That’s four teams that are competitive now.”
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