F1 News
Mercedes not completely satisfied: 'We hoped to do a bit better'
Mercedes once again could be rather happy after Friday and sprint qualifying in Austria. After the Silver Arrows struggled in the beginning of the season, the German team were fighting the teams at the top, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finishing in P4 and P6 respectively. Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' Trackside Engineering Director, reacted to Day 1 at the Red Bull Ring, the team report.
"Sprint qualifying was quite straightforward although in SQ3 we were first out on track. It was important not to risk missing the flag but that does make it difficult to get the benefit of the track evolution. We hoped for a bit better than P4 and P6 but our performance on the soft compound wasn't strong enough to challenge for better," Shovlin explained Mercedes' approach to sprint qualifying.
It was not a completely perfect day for the Germans, Shovlin explained: "Lewis picked up some floor damage and wasn't happy with his laps. George felt that he needed to a bit more high-speed grip to go faster, so we are looking at how to make a few improvements overnight."
Mercedes hopeful for rest of the weekend
"Our aim is to score decent points in the Sprint tomorrow morning, but it's also useful as long run preparation ahead of Sunday's race. We've also got the opportunity to tweak the car for main Qualifying after the Sprint. We know where we need to improve so hopefully, we can make a bit of ground up and start a little closer to the front for the race on Sunday," Shovlin explained their plans from Saturday onwards at the Red Bull Ring.
Based on the one and only practice session, Shovlin also expects a good level of competitiveness by his team. "We had a solid FP1. Both cars managed a good amount of long run work, and, on the hard tyre, we were looking similar to Barcelona in terms of competitiveness."
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30 June 2024
