Mercedes trounce Red Bull and Ferrari in McLaren pursuit verdict

Twelve years on from Mercedes sprinting out of the blocks and going on to dominate a regulation change in F1, it is clear fans see a repeat on the cards this season.

The upcoming campaign heralds the biggest rules upheaval in Formula 1 history. The cars will be smaller, lighter, with reduced downforce and drag, whilst there will also be active aerodynamics, with moveable front and rear wings, designed to aid overtaking, given the DRS [drag reduction system] has been axed.

Predominantly, there will be a 50/50 split between internal combustion and electric power, a simplified hybrid, as the MGU-H has been removed, whilst the power of the MGU-K has been increased for enhanced overtaking and straight-line speed. The cars will also run on 100% sustainable fuel.

In 2014, with the introduction of the 1.6-litre V6 turbo-hybrid power unit, Mercedes crushed the opposition. For eight consecutive years, it was the constructors' champion.

Can the Brackley-based team repeat its feat of the past decade and develop a new engine that will at least usurp McLaren from its position as back-to-back champions?

In a RacingNews365 poll over Christmas, we asked which team was best placed to break McLaren's dominance this year, and it was Mercedes that comfortably led the way.

Mercedes accumulated over half of the votes - 53.85% to be precise - more than double that of its nearest challenger, Red Bull, which totalled 22.67%.

Ferrari was a distant third with 9.72%, whilst the Adrian Newey-led Aston Martin, given that the design genius has now taken on the role of team principal, was a close fourth to the Scuderia with 8.1%.