Andrew Shovlin: happy with the evolution of the Mercedes
With Toto Wolff absent this weekend, it was Mercedes'track engineering director Andrew Shovlin who took on the press conference task. Asked mainly about the technical and mechanical aspects of the car, he said he was satisfied, but that there was still work to be done to catch McLaren.
A more than satisfactory start to the year for the team at Silver Star. A car that’s easier to drive with fewer minor nuisance issues. « The car meets our expectations. It doesn’t really have the flaws of previous years », explained Shovlin.
The winter work seems to be paying off. The car adapting to various circuits and sections, as Andrew indicated, it performed well on those we covered and in varied conditions. That’s a good thing. The shift and understanding of the car’s errors started in the middle of last season, and it really materialized with the drivers’ simulator work. Where we clearly did the best was with the simulator work over the winter: we followed the car’s development and ensured that the solutions we provide for balancing issues are suited to those we will encounter.
Asked about the future and the battle with the favorite team McLaren, Sholvin did not deny that a considerable gap existed, but said they would do everything to reduce it.
« There is clearly a gap with McLaren that we need to bridge, but it seems more like a normal development race that we need to get on with rather than trying to fix the behavioral flaws we’ve encountered. »
For many, Suzuka is a test. It’s a circuit that has many different sections: elevation changes, fast and tight corners. Additionally, the wind often blows head-on and tailwind. But for Andrew, this Grand Prix is by no means a test, thinking of the car’s nemesis: overheating rear end. I think Bahrain will be more interesting because there’s a rear circuit that overheats, and that’s one of the areas where we’ve really struggled.
He concluded by speaking about Toto Wolff, saying he was reassured and calm, confident about what is to come: « He is very calm. He seems very confident. He did an excellent job in the first two races, so it is very encouraging. »
Adding even that he pushes everyone upwards and does an excellent job: « He focuses on points, trying to qualify as best as he can. His front row in China was very encouraging. He pushes us to progress and works a lot himself. » Andrew’s last words refer to his mental health issues he suffers from.
All signals are green for Mercedes to drive towards a great season.
