Ferrari ready to beat Mercedes - Frentzen

Ferrari is ready to win the 2019 world championship.

That is the claim of former F1 driver Heinz Harald Frentzen, who told Abendzeitung newspaper that Ferrari made a strong impression in Barcelona testing.

"Mercedes will continue to be among the dominant teams," said the German, who is now 51.

"But currently I have the impression that Ferrari is doing a little better. They are really putting pressure on Mercedes.

"Barcelona showed that Ferrari has coped better with the changes in the aerodynamics. They shot almost from the hip and landed a direct hit.

"I have heard that the Mercedes guys were not satisfied with the tests. Understeer is the problem," Frentzen, who drove for Williams, added.

Frentzen also commented on the burgeoning career of Mick Schumacher, and thinks the road ahead for the young German will be "unbelievably difficult".

"Look at Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Nico Rosberg and the time they needed to step out of the shadows of their fathers," he said.

"The pressure on Mick is huge. It will be a big challenge for Ferrari to give him peace so that he can develop his potential."