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BARCELONA, Spain - Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso has said Mercedes could win every F1 GP in 2014 after Lewis Hamilton took a fourth victory in a row in Spain on Sunday (May 11 2014) .
At Mercedes' UK engine plant such thinking is considered crazy, even if the possibility is lurking deep in the recesses of more than a few minds.
Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff said: "Yes, we will do that and then we will retire. It's only the fifth race," he added. "If you look at the performance now, that (idea) comes up to your mind and you say 'Well, that never happened and could it happen?'. But then we know racing."
LAPPED RIVALS
Mercedes has won five out of five races so far in 2014 and started each on pole. The most recent four were 1-2 finishes, with Hamilton leading team mate Nico Rosberg and the margin of superiority over the rest is huge.
All but four rival cars were lapped by Hamilton at the 2014 Spanish GP - he's revelling in the success he was promised in 2012 when Mercedes lured him from the McLaren team. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was 49sec behind in third.
Wolff said: "There are 14 races to go. We haven't really had difficult race condition, we haven't had safety-car periods at the wrong moment, we haven't had thunderstorms at the wrong time. They didn't touch (collide) yet, which is eventually going to happen - or not, I hope."
McLaren is the only team to have come close to such domination; that was when the late Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost battled for the title in 1988 and won all but one of the 16 races. Ferrari won 15 (of 17) races in 2002 and 2004.
CONSISTENT SCORING
No driver has won four races in a row in a single season and failed to take the title but Rosberg - winner in Australia - is still only three points behind Hamilton due to his consistent scoring and Hamilton's DNF in Australia.
There are more rounds (19) in a season now and Red Bull's performance on Sunday May 11 2014 - with Sebastian Vettel in fourth after starting 15th - indicated that engine partner Renault is getting its act together. The next race, Monaco, could suit Red Bull's cars; the team is certainly not about to capitulate, even if the Constructors' championship looks like a foregone conclusion - something Ferrari's Alonso recognised after Mercedes qualified 1-2 ahead of the Spanish race.
Alonso said: "They should be in a position to win all the races so it is going to be tight between them."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, whose teamwon the previous four Constructors' and Drivers' titles with Vettel, acknowledged Mercedes was out on its own. "We have a choice: we either pack up and go home or we fight to try to close the gap. We're determined to close the gap. We are going to push like hell all the way through the year to the last race in Abu Dhabi."
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2014 F1 season – fresh reports every day.
At Mercedes' UK engine plant such thinking is considered crazy, even if the possibility is lurking deep in the recesses of more than a few minds.
Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff said: "Yes, we will do that and then we will retire. It's only the fifth race," he added. "If you look at the performance now, that (idea) comes up to your mind and you say 'Well, that never happened and could it happen?'. But then we know racing."
LAPPED RIVALS
Mercedes has won five out of five races so far in 2014 and started each on pole. The most recent four were 1-2 finishes, with Hamilton leading team mate Nico Rosberg and the margin of superiority over the rest is huge.
All but four rival cars were lapped by Hamilton at the 2014 Spanish GP - he's revelling in the success he was promised in 2012 when Mercedes lured him from the McLaren team. Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo was 49sec behind in third.
Wolff said: "There are 14 races to go. We haven't really had difficult race condition, we haven't had safety-car periods at the wrong moment, we haven't had thunderstorms at the wrong time. They didn't touch (collide) yet, which is eventually going to happen - or not, I hope."
McLaren is the only team to have come close to such domination; that was when the late Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost battled for the title in 1988 and won all but one of the 16 races. Ferrari won 15 (of 17) races in 2002 and 2004.
CONSISTENT SCORING
No driver has won four races in a row in a single season and failed to take the title but Rosberg - winner in Australia - is still only three points behind Hamilton due to his consistent scoring and Hamilton's DNF in Australia.
There are more rounds (19) in a season now and Red Bull's performance on Sunday May 11 2014 - with Sebastian Vettel in fourth after starting 15th - indicated that engine partner Renault is getting its act together. The next race, Monaco, could suit Red Bull's cars; the team is certainly not about to capitulate, even if the Constructors' championship looks like a foregone conclusion - something Ferrari's Alonso recognised after Mercedes qualified 1-2 ahead of the Spanish race.
Alonso said: "They should be in a position to win all the races so it is going to be tight between them."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, whose teamwon the previous four Constructors' and Drivers' titles with Vettel, acknowledged Mercedes was out on its own. "We have a choice: we either pack up and go home or we fight to try to close the gap. We're determined to close the gap. We are going to push like hell all the way through the year to the last race in Abu Dhabi."
Stay with Wheels24 for the 2014 F1 season – fresh reports every day.
