Ferrari has been called the “thorn” in Mercedes' side as the Brackley-based team goes in search of its first double-championship success since 2020.
Mercedes enjoyed a lightning start to the new campaign this year, winning each of the opening six grands prix.
However, its advantage has been cut at recent events, with Ferrari taking to the top step twice and McLaren once at the last five rounds.
Ferrari, in particular, has deployed an aggressive development plan in the opening half of the season to overcome Mercedes' deficit, a situation that race driver Jamie Chadwick believes has become a concern for the championship leaders.
“They [Ferrari] are the thorn for Mercedes that are preventing Mercedes from getting away,” Chadwick told Sky F1.
“The reliability of the Mercedes that's holding them back is meaning that they have to focus on that rather than just focusing on pure performance.
“They're having to work out how they can make their cars for both of them to be comparable but also reliable.
With F1 introducing a new set of technical regulations this year, a development race between the top teams was always likely to unfold.
Chadwick has suggested that Ferrari can become a more consistent threat and a true title challenger if it can get its power unit up to scratch.
“Ferrari, with everything they've done, being a bit of the outliers in terms of the direction they've taken in development, is allowing them to be on their tails,” he said.
“They need to get a little bit closer, and if they can get on top of the engine upgrades as well as that comes into fruition later in the year, it'll be interesting to see how they develop.”
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