Hamilton sceptical over Mercedes upgrades: 'Won't make a huge difference'
F1 News
George Russell seems to be thrilled and encouraged by the recent Mercedes upgrades, whereas his teammate Lewis Hamilton seems much more sceptical. Russell spoke positively ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix and feels confident answers will come. Hamilton wasn't so sure.
Mercedes added upgrades to their car for the 2024 Canadian Grand Prix, and it resulted in Hamilton's best result of the season, plus a pole position and podium finish for Russell. But given the unique circuit, unique conditions, and unique set of circumstances with the underperforming Ferrari and Perez, Mercedes are waiting for the Spanish Grand Prix before making hard conclusions.
Will Mercedes improve again at the Spanish Grand Prix?
"I didn't really believe it when I was driving on the simulator, and it truly turned out to be true in Canada. But we also had some indications in Canada in very similar corners around the whole circuit that we would be fast there. I think this is going to be a real test. If we can be fast this weekend, that bodes really well for the season," Russell said.
"It's going to be good coming back to more conventional circuits, seeing where the pace of this car really sits. I think ourselves, McLaren and Ferrari have made some big strides towards Red Bull, but we also know that they had challenging races on the bumpy tracks, so I think we're all sat here with anticipation of what if. Are we making the gains that we expected and hoped for? Come Thursday next week, we'll all have a better indication of how the rest of the season's going to pan out."
Hamilton wasn't as optimistic in his response to the same question. "There are no certainties in this industry. I don’t know. We'll see. It’s going to be an interesting weekend," said the seven-time World Champion.
Despite progress, Hamilton also questions updates
Hamilton, who has now not won a race for 2.5 years, is aware that Mercedes is making small steps. Formula 1 teams used to take much bigger updates. In this day and age, teams are struggling more with that, Hamilton also sees. "I wouldn't say it makes a huge difference. I think for me, when we made the big moves, it made a difference of three tenths to half a second. It was always a great feeling when you had that. In this period we didn't make those steps," said the Brit.