Vital talking point: Hungary – Merc stalling?

Throughout 2015 and indeed 2014 Mercedes have been the all dominating and conquering team in Formula One.

They possess both the best reliability and performance, which has put both Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in an enviable position.

Both Hamilton and Rosberg go into every race weekend the clear favourites both for pole position and the race victory.

On Saturday their performance has been clear, setting records for pole positions and front row lock-outs, but in recent races their performance on a Sunday has been a bit of a struggle.

The likes of Ferrari and Williams have closed the gap over the past twelve months, but Mercedes still hold a good advantage over their rivals.

The problem has been their starts.

Pulling away from the grid has now become a worry for Mercedes with both Hamilton and Rosberg struggling to get away from the grid.

This was highlighted at both the British Grand Prix where both Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas beat the Merc’s off the line and this was repeated in Hungary when Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen cleared the Merc’s.

At Silverstone a clever pit strategy for Hamilton engineered the race win on the track, whilst the British summer weather came to the aid of Rosberg as rain helped him climb back up the standings.

But in Hungary, Ferrari were able to dictate the race and with Hungary not boasting long straights, Mercedes sheer power advantage was nullified.

Even without Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo playing demolishing derby with both Mercedes during the race, neither Hamilton or Rosberg had any answer to Ferrari.

If it wasn’t for an electrical glitch for Raikkonen Ferrari would have left Hungary with a one-two finish, instead it was Red Bull who completed the podium alongside Vettel.

In Belgium, a change in the regulations to the start procedure will see drivers having more control over the starts rather than relying on computers and electronics.

The question is, will this further hamper Mercedes and make them even more sluggish off the line? Or will it level the playing field and get rid of Ferrari and Williams only advantage over Mercedes?

We have three weeks to find out.