Mercedes seem on the up this year. After a few years of being down and out after securing seven-straight consturctors’ titles, the Brixton and Brackley team onyl secured one win in the last two years, and admitted to having fundamental problems with their car development.
That being said, their new car seems to be promising after testing. On the last day, George Russell set the second-fastest time on one lap, which becomes a high point after a hopeful testing for both Russell and departing Lewis Hamilton.
While the car does have some improvement points, Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director for Mercedes, says that there’s one place where the car needs to improve: qualifying. While Russell and Hamilton were roughly even in qualifying, having average positions of 6.36 and 6.5 respectively over the course of the season, these results are far flung from those that are expected from the team.
Shovlin seems optimistic reflecting on this year’s season.
“We’re still trying to fine-tune the set-up, there will definitely be more to come,” Shovlin said in a Mercedes social media debrief.
“Overall we’re happy, we definitely made progress. In terms of pace, the long run probably looks like our strength at the moment.
“There’s more work to do on a single lap, but we should be in a position to hopefully put in a good showing when we get back on track.”
Shovlin also mentioned that the problems that both Hamilton and Russell had been complaining about throughout over the last two years have gone.
“It’s really encouraging that a lot of the problems that the drivers have been talking about the last 12 and even 24 months with W13 and W14, we seem to have got to grips with,” Shovlin added.
