In preparation for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix, the Mercedes team is committed to conducting a thorough review of its communication procedures as part of a big shake up. The objective is to prevent a repeat of the incident that occurred during the Spanish GP, where the team’s two drivers collided.

Following the collision between their drivers during the qualifying session at the Barcelona circuit, Mercedes has acknowledged the need to reassess specific communication protocols.

During the Spanish Grand Prix qualifying, Lewis Hamilton decelerated at Turn 10 to allow Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari to overtake him as he completed a fast lap. Hamilton intended to take advantage of the Ferrari’s slipstream by closely following it, aiming for maximum top speed on the straight section.

However, Hamilton’s teammate, George Russell, also sought to benefit from the slipstream provided by Sainz’s Ferrari, resulting in Russell accelerating to keep pace with the Ferrari. Unfortunately, this coincided with Hamilton approaching from behind at full speed.

As they reached the straight, Russell, who was stuck behind the Ferrari, made a sudden leftward maneuver to overtake the Ferrari, unaware that Hamilton was simultaneously attempting to pass him after benefiting from the slipstream.

The two cars ended up side by side, making contact and damaging the front wing of Hamilton’s car in the process. Hamilton chose to abandon his final lap as he was confident of qualifying for Q3, while Russell continued to push but fell short of qualifying in Q3.

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Mercedes: Must prevent our drivers colliding again

Addressing the incident, Mercedes Performance Director Andrew Shovlin stated that several internal communication procedures will be scrutinized before the next race in Canada, scheduled for June 16-18. The aim is to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future.

“Quite simply, the drivers were trying to find a car finishing a lap to take advantage of the slipstream to start their lap themselves,” explained Shovlin.

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“That gave them more straight-line speed, and you can gain about a tenth, maybe even a bit more. That car that was finishing its lap [Sainz’s Ferrari] slows down and then they can do the rest of their lap in clean air.”

“The problem is very simple: George and Lewis both tried to take the slipstream from Sainz, and Lewis got behind him at Turn 10. As he came in to start his fast lap, George waited because he knew Sainz was coming, but didn’t realise Lewis was right behind.”

“Now that we’re back at the factory, we’ll sit down and see how we need to change our communication to make sure we don’t confuse the drivers by not giving them the full picture.”

Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, the Mercedes team sits second in the Constructors’ World Championship, 135 points behind leader Red Bull.

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