By John Tan 04/13/21 AT 6:30 AM. Mercedes fears that it will not be good enough to take on Red Bull at the next Formula 1 races at Imola and Portimao, despite its Bahrain Grand Prix win. Mike Elliott will take over from James Allison from July 1 as technical director of Formula One champions Mercedes, the team announced on Friday. We have daily updates and news stories about this legendary Mercedes F1 team We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. Mercedes believes it could gain an edge over its Formula 1 rivals by using augmented reality to improve communication between its factory and the … But Mercedes returned to form in Friday’s practice running at Imola as Bottas led Hamilton to a 1-2 finish in both FP1 and FP2. Verstappen finished 0.058 seconds off the pace in FP1, placing third, and wound up 14th in FP2 after a driveshaft issue ended his session after just five laps. The challenges Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton face to hold on to their Formula 1 crowns come under the spotlight in this week’s Autosport magazine, out today (15 April). We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips. KEY POINTS. F1 News: Mercedes Boss Recalls Threatening To Suspend Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg. Mercedes is the most successful team ever from Germany. Mercedes are to launch their latest title contender, the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E Performance, on March 2, but the engine is ready to go by the sounds of it – with Mercedes hoping it will help propel the team to a record-extending eighth consecutive constructors' championship in 2021. Allison will stand back from day-to … Mercedes has revealed that its deficit to Red Bull at the Bahrain Grand Prix is not being helped by engine derating issues around the Sakhir Formula 1 track. See the latest Mercedes F1 News: Check out now the newest updates & stories on this great German car brand. Mercedes now the ‘hunters rather than the hunted' in F1 title race - Bottas Leclerc believes this year’s Ferrari SF21 is an improvement in every area compared to its predecessor. The team from Stuttgart won their first Formula 1 championship in back in 1954 with Juan Manuel Fangio. Mercedes admits it will face some "tricky decisions" over the next few weeks about when to switch off development of its 2021 Formula 1 car to focus on next year.