Roberto Merhi: Hidden Gem?
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I’ve just watched the rain-affected race at the Hungaroring and I couldn’t help but notice the incredible car control that Roberto Merhi has. In a 40 minute race (+1 lap) he managed to beat the car in second place (Pierre Gasly) by a scarcely believable 29 seconds in a spec series. Has Caterham found a hidden gem in this young Spaniard who is in his first season in this category? I believe so. Having slashed Carlos Sainz Jr’s lead down to just over one race win, Merhi has a realistic shot at the title that Sainz effectively had in the bag after the first half dozen races or so. Although Merhi spent a lot of this race running off of the circuit at turn 1, I was most impressed by how he didn’t spin or hit anything once, even when he did look as if the car was going to face the wrong way, he kept it facing the right way. This guy is pretty good.
That was a seriously impressive drive from Merhi. Single spec-cars, damp track and nearly 30 seconds clear at the chequered flag having started seventh. He’s really coming on strong in Formula Renault 3.5 at the moment and we could be in for a thrilling end to the season with him and Carlos Sainz Jnr going head-to-head for the championship.
There’s 26 points between them with 125 left on the board. It could be Spaniard versus Spaniard in Spain for the season finale at Jerez!
Here are the highlights from the race – look out for Merhi going from seventh to second on the frist lap (and Sainz Jnr climbing eight places to sixth).
@craig-o The perfect drive to make the FIA look ridiculous! How he doesn’t qualify for a super-licence, despite being 2011 Euro F3 champion is beyond me. And not so long ago, they let in Yuji Ide…
5 years back for their now FIA-backed series would be a good call. This gives it to Juncadella, Merhi, Mortara, Marciello and now Ocon. I’d say the top 5 in F3 this year wouldn’t make themselves look silly if given the chance. But you can always give it to the top 3, or top 2 for years further back as well. E.g. Lynn, who is now leading GP3. Not to mention that some of these drivers beat guys like Bottas, and could all test for F1 teams or do an FP1 if they were wanted. Anyone who can be top 3 in FIA F3 is always a good driver and worthy of a super-licence IMO.
It’s fair to say that one look at the results would suggest that Sainz Jr, Merhi are ready for F1, while Gasly and Rowland will be after a title battle next year. Not surprising that these 4 are the top 4 in the standings.. while 5th and 6th are current ‘test drivers’, Stevens and Sirotkin.
He finished second in race two after starting from pole position but Carlos Sainz Jnr slipped from second to sixth. Oscar Tunjo was fortunate to escape injury after being flipped at the start, Norman Nato won:
Over the last 3 rounds/6 races Merhi has outscored Sainz Jr 123 points to 53.
He’s certainly the man in form, and its sets us up for a fascinating end to the season.
In June, Carlos Sainz Jr had two hands on both the FR3.5 title and an F1 race seat, reports even linked him with a 2014 debut with Caterham before replacing Vergne in 2015. However now it appears Carlos has lost both, and is even being outraced by Red Bull stablemate and FR3.5 rookie, Gasly. Obviously Verstappen has (wrongly) taken the seat Sainz was destined for in F1, and the increasingly remarkable return to single seaters of Roberto Merhi has put him within 16 pts of Sainz with four races remaining having taken 23 pts of Sainz’s lead at the Hungaroring alone. Put simply, unless Sainz finds more pace, he will not win the title, and if he doesn’t, Red Bull will cut ties with him and I doubt we’ll hear his name again…
Could the fact that Verstappen was assigned as Toro Rosso’s second driver for next year have had such a profound impact in Sainz’s motivation and performance? He certainly seems to have lost something, even to his Red Bull stable mate Gasly, who finished in front of him in both of the races this weekend.
And Merhi having been so strong for the past couple of rounds, constantly delivering big results and getting lots of points, shouldn’t bode well for Sainz’s aspirations of becoming FR3.5’s newest champion. I won’t be surprised if in the next round Merhi takes the lead of the championship.
Sainz was unlucky in qualifying for the first race – the red flag came out when it did and left him 14th. From there he drove a great first lap, made a couple of good passes. He seemed a bit ineffective against Gasly though.
In race two he didn’t start well from the front row (as in race one he was on the dirty side again), and his car seemed to cut out at the exit of turn one on the first lap which cost him a couple more places. He then made his mistake when behind Rowland.
I’d say he had a slightly unlucky weekend, amplified by a couple of untimely errors. But he’s going to be feeling the heat now – Merhi is really bearing down on him.
I noticed that Keith.. it seemed to bog down really badly. Van Buuren and Gasly just drove right around him, and from that point on, he was stuck in the train. But yes – Merhi could really snatch this one from him. His statement after race 1, that his pace advantage wasn’t as big as it looked, is now coming true as others maximise their packages in the second half of the season.
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