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Mercedes' technical director revealed the team was anxious over lost performance from last year. It remains to be seen if they have done enough to recover from the minor regulation changes.
Speaking at the launch of Mercedes' 2021 challenger at the team base in Brackley, Allison said:
"We feel utterly excited about what's in front of us but equally anxious because so much has changed in these regulations at a detailed level that does really punish the car from a performance point of view."
"Have we done enough to recover back that performance better than our competitors? None of know and yet we know we really care about it and so the anxiety is quite high this year."
Mercedes are favorites at the start of the season
Mercedes held a distinct advantage in 2020 with a faster car than the entire grid. Lewis Hamilton coasted to his seventh world title while Mercedes won their seventh consecutive title since 2014.
The cars remain similar to last year. Teams were allowed to make limited changes to their contenders, which ensures that no team makes gigantic leaps in performance. This makes Mercedes favorite for the title this season.
Lewis Hamilton poised to break Michael Schumacher's record
Lewis Hamilton tied Michael Schumacher's record of world titles last year by winning his seventh world championship. Driving the all-conquering Mercedes, Hamilton is poised to break Michael Schumacher's record and become the most decorated driver in the sport's history.
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Hamilton can also equal Schumacher's record for most consecutive world titles. Schumacher won five titles between the 2000 and 2004 seasons. Hamilton has won every championship since 2017.
Teammate Valtteri Bottas has been unable to challenge Hamilton ever since the former arrived at the team. This means Hamilton remains the favorite to win the eighth title of his illustrious Formula 1 career.
