Mercedes 'oozing confidence' but key 'question mark' remains

Jolyon Palmer believes Mercedes are "oozing confidence" ahead of the new season, but that their reliability remains a "question mark".

For several months, Mercedes has been touted as the early favourite heading into the new power unit regulations, although testing was not entirely smooth for the Silver Arrows.

Multiple power unit changes were required during its running in Barcelona and Bahrain, raising concerns over the reliability of its engine.

Despite this, George Russell completed more laps across pre-season testing than any other driver, with Palmer noting that the Briton is "beaming" wherever he goes.

Several drivers have been highly critical of the new regulations, yet next to nothing negative has been said within the Mercedes camp.

In addition, the Brackley-based outfit's run plan in testing was noticeably different from everyone else's, convincing Palmer that it is in a strong position.

"I think the main thing for me with Mercedes is that the car looks good out on circuit," Palmer told the F1 Nation Podcast. "It looks fairly consistent. There are still reliability question marks, and the drivers were not without lock-ups, which has been a massive feature of everyone's inconsistencies this year.

"But generally, you look at Mercedes and you see they don't bother doing any real level of performance running. They don't really bother doing any proper long runs, sort of race simulations.

"Everyone else was out there trying to put themselves through the classic race run. Mercedes didn't do that. They're very, very happy. You see George Russell around the paddock, and he is just beaming.

"There are various drivers who have had different opinions on their cars. The only thing that ever comes out of his mouth is glowing positivity. And you try to piece it all together, and you think they have still got something in hand.

"So that's the overriding thing. The car looks good, and the team are just oozing confidence."