Russell: our worst performance of the season
Despite finishing the Grand Prix in fifth place, the Briton was highly critical of his car's performance after finishing more than 30 seconds behind the winner in weather conditions that were ideal for Mercedes.
Worry at Mercedes? Since their victory in Canada thanks to George Russell, the German team is experiencing a challenging period: no podiums in the last three races for Russell, no points scored for Antonelli, and often fragile reliability. While the lack of pace could be attributed to the extreme heat during recent races, like in Austria, the result achieved under cool and wet conditions at Spa raises questions for Mercedes. Their driver George Russell even described this performance as the worst of the season and is urging the team to respond quickly.
The Briton indeed finished more than thirty seconds behind the winner Oscar Piastri and never seemed able to engage in the battle between Leclerc and Verstappen for the podium. A necessarily disappointing result for the Briton who wanted to bounce back after an already difficult home Grand Prix. “The maximum in terms of raw result, but very disappointing in terms of performance,” he highlighted to Planet F1, explaining that discussions will take place this week to understand where the problem lies.
Results related to the new F1 guidelines according to Russell
« We really need to understand what is happening and why we’ve taken such a step backward. Because with today’s conditions, one might think they were ideal for our car, and yet, it’s once again our worst performance of the season. So this week, we’ll need to sit down and analyze everything. » The former Williams driver actually has a theory. According to him, the issues encountered over several races are due to the wing change made by the team starting from the Barcelona event. An update that seems to make the car more nervous and unstable.
« We obviously modified the front wing in Barcelona. Then, we took a slightly different direction to compensate for this change, and clearly, since that moment, we’ve taken a big step backward. The car is not as pleasant to drive as before, it lacks stability at the rear, whereas at the beginning of the season, it was much better. I think Kimi [Antonelli] and I are collectively making more mistakes because the car is more difficult to drive. »
Outsider for the title at the start of the season after a series of podiums, Russell is now threatened by Charles Leclerc in the championship and trails over 100 points behind leader Oscar Piastri. While the Brit suggests a link between the new FIA technical regulations regarding flexible wings and Mercedes’ recent struggles, Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ technical director, points out that the team has also introduced several parts that have likely altered the car’s behavior.
Developments that make the car more unstable
« It’s probably true for everyone: this directive will not improve stability. But we had this wing on the car in Montreal, and it worked. The fact is, other teams manage to balance their cars better. There is no doubt that there is a solution for us. It’s not just the front wing that has changed, and I’m sure we can still learn lessons from it. I would also say that indeed, this directive on the front wing may have pushed us in the wrong direction, but the fact is that even when we reduced aero balance, instability is still there. So, as I said, there is something to learn. »
Shovlin has therefore not ruled out the possibility of introducing new elements as early as this weekend in Hungary, where the high temperatures may make it even more challenging for Mercedes. « It depends on the extent of the modifications, but it’s quite possible that we’ll change certain elements of the car for Budapest. The extent will depend on the parts we have available. And as I said, many things have been modified. »
A rebound expected from Hungary onwards
Modifications that would be welcome for a team and drivers who need to regain confidence behind the wheel, especially Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian, brilliant in his F1 debut, is nonetheless going through a very challenging period. Apart from his podium in Canada, the former F2 driver hasn’t scored points in the last five races and had another tough weekend at Spa with a 16th place on Sunday.
Before the summer break, Mercedes hopes to achieve a good result on a circuit that has favored them in recent years with two pole positions in the last three editions and a third place secured last year by Lewis Hamilton behind the two McLarens. Will history repeat itself this year? We’ll find out this weekend at the Hungaroring circuit.
