Horner: Mercedes still quality despite testing woes

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has warned that Mercedes are not to be counted out as the favourites for the 2021 F1 season despite the German team suffering an uncharacteristically bumpy few days during pre-season testing.

Mercedes ran the fewest laps of any team over the three day testing sessions at Bahrain, while Red Bull appeared to have clocked notable improvements to their car over the winter break as Max Verstappen ran out some of the fastest laps of the weekend.

But Horner has warned that despite the Austrian team’s apparent advantage, Mercedes remain a serious contender going into the season opener at the same track in two weeks’ time, according to Motorsport-Total.com

"Mercedes is a team of high quality. Two years ago they also had problems in the winter tests, and then they drove us all over the park at the first race in Melbourne," he said.

"Yes, their car didn't look particularly good during the first two days on the track. But that can change very quickly."

However, Horner also noted that changes to the regulations around the cars’ floors for 2021 could have an outsized impact on the championship.

"Small rule changes can sometimes have a big impact in Formula 1," he said.