Jacques Villeneuve: Mercedes had five years advantage

Jacques Villeneuve recalled that Mercedes had a five-year pb implicit the contention astatine the commencement of the hybrid era, but helium stresses that specified a script volition not hap again successful 2026. The Canadian believes that today's manufacturers are overmuch amended prepared and that nary 1 tin execute specified dominance arsenic the "Silver Arrows" successful 2014.

Mercedes and the caller rules

The procreation of ground-effect cars was not peculiarly palmy for Mercedes, but the caller rules bring immoderate hope. The powerfulness portion being developed successful Brixworth has been praised by each sides, and the Silver Arrows volition beryllium the shaper with the astir lawsuit teams connected the grid; arsenic galore arsenic 8 of the 22 cars volition beryllium powered by their engines.

However, Villeneuve presently does not judge that Mercedes volition person specified a breakthrough. The erstwhile champion believes that radical are convincing themselves that they volition spot "version 2.0" of the commencement of the hybrid era, but this clip the German squad volition not person a five-year lead. 

"Everyone started astatine astir the aforesaid clip and that is wherefore it is hard to beryllium importantly up of each rivals," claims the Canadian.

The rumors going astir are based connected a 5 twelvemonth pb successful the hybrid era.

"The rumors are based connected what happened astatine the opening of the hybrid era, erstwhile Mercedes arrived 5 years up of everyone else. If idiosyncratic approached them, they would conscionable summation the powerfulness a little, and they would already person a caller mentation acceptable successful the store for the infinitesimal idiosyncratic arrived," Villeneuve admitted to Vision4Sport.

"I don't deliberation the manufacturers volition beryllium caught disconnected defender the 2nd time"

He added: 

"Now everyone thinks that if they did it once, it volition beryllium the aforesaid again. I don't deliberation the manufacturers volition beryllium caught disconnected defender the 2nd time. Everyone present understands these powerfulness units, they person coagulated foundations, truthful I wonderment wherefore Mercedes would abruptly person different large advantage."

Still, Villeneuve does not regularisation retired the anticipation that Mercedes volition erstwhile again go the modular of strength, but emphasizes that it is excessively aboriginal to accidental who volition dominate. 

"It's not caller technology. It's the aforesaid happening that we redesigned, it's not the aforesaid prospect, but it's based connected the aforesaid concept. Maybe they person an astonishing engine, but cipher knows that - it's each conscionable rumours. Nobody has an penetration into what's going connected successful the plan department," concluded the Canadian.