Boost for Hamilton and Russell in Zandvoort: 'That follows expectations'

Mercedes opted to stick with the new floor for the meaningful sessions in Zandvoort. The upgrade was rolled out during Friday practice at the Belgium Grand Prix prior to the summer break. However, uncertainty in its performance meant Mercedes decided to remove it from the car. In the end, Mercedes had a positive qualifying session and crossed the line in a one-two formation. Russell was later disqualified, giving the win to Hamilton.

Can Mercedes use the floor part in the Dutch Grand Prix?

In the first free practice for the Dutch Grand Prix, Mercedes used the new floor again, but only on one car. Russell used the new part, while Hamilton continued with the old part. After the split test, Mercedes are happy with the data collected.

"The conditions in FP1 were particularly tricky with very strong winds and heavy rain making it difficult to get a good read on the updated floor we brought to Spa. Nevertheless, what we saw looks in line with expectations, so we'll continue the weekend with that fitted to both cars," Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin reported.

"The single lap performance looks solid, although it's likely to be tight with Verstappen and the McLarens in qualifying as they all looked strong today. We have a few areas we can improve in that regard but no doubt the others are in a similar position. Our long runs weren't quite as strong. We can certainly find a bit of pace with tyre management and an improved balance, but Norris looked very good this afternoon and we will need to take a step to get on his pace," he continued.