But Mercedes did not have a good test in Bahrain, and the drivers are struggling with the behaviour of their car. Asked if he believed Mercedes would be championship challengers this year, Bottas said: “I absolutely believe the car and the team have the potential to do so. “The amount of times Mercedes has topped the testing in the last few years is not very high,” Verstappen said. “I had positive feelings in the car, but we will find out at the first race where we are. Then, Mercedes sailed through testing, while the Red Bull drivers were struggling keeping their car pointing forwards when the track turned.

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