Mercedes warn Red Bull and McLaren: 'Not satisfied with two wins'

Hard work in Brackley has been rewarded

"The team is absolutely delighted and having seen George take the win in Austria, for Lewis to get it at the British Grand Prix was fantastic," Shovlin revealed in Mercedes' debrief. "Obviously disappointing that we couldn't have George there on the podium, but as you say, two wins in a row is brilliant. There's a lot of energy in the team at the moment. We've been working hard for months, but now you can start to see the fruits of that work, and there's more to do," said the Brit.

At the start of the season, Mercedes was nowhere to be seen. With a car that was nowhere near Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren, the first podium was not achieved until the ninth race of the season. Nevertheless, hard work has continued at the Brackley factory and the W15 now seems to be faster than the Ferrari.

Victories in Austria and Britain are just the beginning

Following the change in regulations in 2022, Mercedes has fallen behind Red Bull. The team that was dominant from 2014 to 2021 has won just three races since 2022. The Brackley-based team is euphoric now, but Shovlin wants more. "It was a massively important result. We said at the start of this year we were determined to go out on a high with Lewis. He's been such a huge part of the team's history. So to have not got some more wins with him would have been upsetting, but just brilliant to see him up there," he said. 

"It's a huge boost to the mood around here and everyone's motivation because it's been so hard work and because it was such a tough start to the year. And I think for Lewis' own confidence and mood in the car, you can see that he's really enjoying it now. So that was great to see. Hopefully there's more wins to come this season though. We're not happy with two. We want to go after more." 

This article was written in collaboration with Sophia Crothall.