Mercedes has not had the easiest time during pre-season or indeed even during the opening race-week of the 2021 season.
While Lewis Hamilton was skilful enough to clock a win, it was quite clear that Red Bull has entered the season a touch quicker than the Silver Arrows.
Mercedes junior driver George Russell believes he knows why Mercedes is lacking in terms of speed.
The Williams driver played a starring role for Mercedes last season, when he was asked to deputise for Lewis Hamilton, who had tested positive for coronavirus.
The young British driver said that wind played a crucial factor in the race and Mercedes and Williams both will struggle at similar venues.
“We have to put up with it. To solve this you have to redesign the whole car,” Russell said.
The Brit was speaking with regard to the Williams car, which runs with a relatively high downforce and is therefore sensitive to wind.
“I believe Mercedes are in the same boat. They probably had more trouble this weekend too, more than they will have in the coming races,” he said.
“Red Bull and teams like Alfa Romeo will have been just a little bit stronger in Bahrain, than they will be different in the coming races.”