'Mercedes upgrades seem to deliver immediate results'
- Cas van de Kleut
Mercedes has taken a step forward in terms of development with the new upgrades. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell drove their W14 to the podium in Spain. Former Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer also sees a good improvement in the car, he says in his column on Formula1.com.
For the second year in a row, the German racing stable is not really competing for victories so far. Since the introduction of the new cars in 2022, the team managed to win just one race. George Russell took his first victory in the king class in Brazil last year, while Lewis Hamilton has not managed to cross the line first since the chaotic race in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
Improvement in Mercedes
Yet Mercedes now seems to have taken a step forward. Palmer says: "They have significant upgrades on the car and on the face of it, it looks like they are yielding immediate results. However this has always been a strong Mercedes circuit."
So at least on the track, Mercedes has performed better than earlier in the season. Still, not too much should be expected of the team, Palmer believes: "The gap to Red Bull and Max Verstappen remains large though and Mercedes were also flattered by their rivals under performing."