After the recent appearance in Shanghai, it is evident to George Russell that Mercedes must take significant steps in the factory to improve their performance. With the current package, it is unlikely that the Silver Arrows will be able to achieve much more than sixth place in the upcoming Grand Prix in China.
Russell had identified the race as a good way to determine his position in advance. The appearance in the Middle Kingdom gave the Mercedes driver information, although perhaps not quite the one he had hoped for.
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Russell: We still lack downforce
“It was a good weekend in the sense that we had this format and were able to try a lot of different things between the two races,” says Russell, referring to the weekend sprint. However, the performance in both races was very similar.
“We must now return to the factory to address the fundamental issues, which include increasing downforce on the car.”
After his exit in SQ2, the sprint presented significant challenges for Russell from the outset. However, he still managed to secure an honorary point for eighth place. Things improved slightly in the race, with the Brit still finishing sixth.
The team’s experimentation with the set-up during the China weekend did not affect Mercedes’ position in the chasing field. “It was a valuable learning experience because we had two different set-ups this weekend, but both produced similar lap times and performances,” reveals Russell.
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The Brit’s conclusion: “The work must now continue in the factory, because the bottom line in Formula 1 is that the more downforce you have, the faster you will be. The set-up is then just the cherry on the cake.”
Mercedes driver Russell believes that downforce is the key to success. Regarding his downforce thesis, Russell adds: “I think we understand enough now to know that we need to add downforce.”
“We’ve changed the philosophy and the concept a few times over the last two years.”
“My personal opinion is that, regardless of the concept, the most important thing is to have as much downforce as possible. Once you have that, you can then worry about the limitations.”
According to Russell, there is no single solution: “We just have to keep adding up performance and concentrate on the basics, like the wind tunnel and the downforce in the CFD data. Sometimes it might be that simple.”
Mercedes is already implementing new updates in Miami. Russell notes, “We’ll see what we can do with it.”
However, he adds, “Red Bull is still ahead of the competition. We have their true potential here. For example, in the sprint, Verstappen comfortably took a second off everyone. We shouldn’t fool ourselves.”
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Shovlin: “We’re not fast enough at the moment”
Mercedes’ chief engineer Andrew Shovlin is also unsurprised by the ongoing difficulties and the large gap to Red Bull. He points out that it was clear from the start that it would be a tough race for them. He adds that they are not fast enough at the moment and that they did not qualify well.
In the end, they finished in the positions predicted in advance.
“George drove exceptionally well. He made a strong start and was ahead of both Ferrari drivers. However, we placed too much strain on the rear tyres in the first stint and had to visit the pits earlier than planned…
“The safety car even played into our hands,” as the chief engineer admits. Otherwise, the early stop could have been even more challenging. From then on, the race was straightforward.
“We lacked the necessary speed to challenge Sainz, but had the necessary pace to maintain our position ahead of Alonso.”
Wolff: “Not good enough.”
Lewis clung on during the Sprint race to claim second behind a recovering Max Verstappen. However, his day was about to get much worse. In the later Grand Prix qualifying session, Hamilton failed to make it out of Q1 and was set to start the race on the back row of the grid.
In the Grand Prix, Hamilton fought hard but his W15 car was slower than many in the lower midfield.
“I think considering where we put the cars altogether, drivers and team, was not a good position for today. Not good enough overall,” he said.
“Lacking pace. We have got to dig deep. We have got something coming for Miami that looks like a good step, let’s see where that brings us out.”
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The Mercedes boss was reluctant to answer when asked how much the Miami upgrade was worth. After pausing and a blink of the eyes Wolff said: “Let’s see. Hopefully a bit.”
Hamilton is only the latest in what has been something of a brain drain for Mercedes in recent years. Andy Cowell, the man behind the all-conquering Brixworth, left to pursue other interests in 2020. Last year, Mike Elliot left the team and was replaced by James Allison, who returned to the role of technical director.
In an interview with the Chequered Flag podcast, BBC F1 writer Andrew Benson addressed suggestions that Allison may be bound elsewhere in the future.
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“He’s [Toto Wolff] not designing the car, the issue is the car design,” said Benson.
“Now, so that then passes the question onto the technical department, are they going to make changes there?
“Maybe, [but] are they likely to replace James Allison as technical director? I’d be absolutely dumbstruck if they did.
“James Allison is incredibly highly regarded; most people would regard him as the second-best technical leader in Formula 1 behind Adrian Newey.
“I think most people would think they’d lost their marbles if they got rid of Allison.”
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