How Mercedes can cause more headaches for Red Bull and McLaren
F1 News
Mercedes had the winning momentum in Formula 1 prior to the summer break. Toto Wolff's team have won three out of the last four races after upgrades applied in Canada lifted them to the top. Mercedes are now a serious competitor for the likes of Red Bull and McLaren to contend with. There's more in the pipeline, according to the head of trackside engineering, Andrew Shovlin, who explains the key focus for the team.
Mercedes applied upgrades in Canada, but the outcome was uncertain. Russell qualified on pole position (Verstappen matched Russell's time but the Brit set it first). He dropped backwards but held onto the podium places, while Lewis Hamilton also battled for the podium. However, the Canadian Grand Prix took place in unique conditions, on a unique track, and in—at the time—unique circumstances, which saw Sergio Perez and Ferrari out of position.
Russell ended up winning the next race, but only because of a crash between leaders Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Still, the Mercedes driver had to be there to pick up the pieces. The strong performance followed through with a win at Silverstone, ending Hamilton's near 1,000-day drought. A podium was achieved in Hungary, and Mercedes crossed the line in first and second in Belgium. Russell was disqualified, but the winning trophy stayed at the Mercedes garage.
What do Mercedes want to improve on?
The delight of the last few months comes after a bumpy road. Following the long-term successful streak between 2014-2021, Mercedes missed the mark when the 2022 rules and regulations were introduced. But they've finally found a footing that means they can grow further.
"I've got no doubt in Zandvoort we'll be returning to the new aero package and getting the car in a slightly different window mechanically," Russell told GPblog and others, showing confidence in Mercedes' updates. Mercedes introduced a new floor but took it off for the meaningful events in Belgium.
Shovlin explained that Mercedes have found it different in the hotter events. "In Austria and Budapest, we lacked stability, but that's all down to the fact that we seem to be putting more temperature in the tyres than the others, so we know we need to work on that area. We've got plans to do that, but that's not the sort of problem you can fix with a single aero update," Shovlin told GPblog and others.
"It'll be the result of quite a few developments. And hopefully the net result of that is that we can compete with the likes of McLaren, the likes of Max [Verstappen] on the hot circuits."
Mercedes are 142 points behind Red Bull Racing in the Constructors' Championship. With ten Grands Prix remaining (and three sprints), it seems like a very uphill task. But in the short-term, Mercedes have the chance to cause more problems for Red Bull and McLaren at each and every race.