Heidfeld predicting end of Merc dominance

Former F1 star Nick Heidfeld expects Mercedes’ dominance to end in 2020 and says Ferrari can take their place. Mercedes have won the Constructors’ Championship for a sixth consecutive year after another stellar season for the German manufacturer. Lewis Hamilton is also on the brink of claiming a sixth world championship and will seal the title if Valtteri Bottas does not win Sunday’s USA Grand Prix. However, the second half of the season has not been as good and, particularly in qualifying, the Silver Arrows have been well outpaced by Ferrari. Charles Leclerc has started on pole in five of the last six races, and Sebastian Vettel led the way at the other meeting in Japan. Despite the total dominance of Mercedes in recent times, and the fact Ferrari have not won a title since 2007, Heidfeld is backing a sea change in 2020. “I think that next year we will see a distortion of the hierarchies, with Ferrari ready to take the lead,” Heidfeld told Sky Germany. “As unlikely as it may seem, there will come a time when Mercedes’ domination will end. “For Ferrari, the important thing is to learn from this year’s mistakes. They have the speed and pace to beat Mercedes and Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc have understood this and are fighting to get the status of a leader.”