1996 F1 world champion Damon Hill has noticed one key change at Mercedes at the Japanese Grand Prix.
The Silver Arrows are in desperate need of a strong weekend at Suzuka after their double DNF in Australia last time out.
And speaking on the F1 Show, Hill observed something different about George Russell and Lewis Hamilton this weekend.
Russell crashed out of the Australian Grand Prix on the penultimate lap following a run-in with Fernando Alonso that saw the Spaniard penalised.
Hamilton, meanwhile, retired from the race because of an engine issue.
The result left Toto Wolff’s team with just 26 points on the board after four races, 29 adrift of McLaren in third and 67 behind the top two.
It’s only the second time since Mercedes returned to F1 in 2010 that they’ve failed to score a podium in the opening three rounds (after 2011).
Damon Hill struck by Mercedes ‘positivity’
There were flashes of promise for Mercedes in FP1 as Russell set the fourth-fastest time and Hamilton wound up close behind in fifth.
While they were still around half a second adrift of pacesetter Max Verstappen, it was noteworthy that they finished ahead of Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari.
Hill is wary that Mercedes have failed to build on similar practice performances at previous events this season.
Hamilton was fourth in FP3 last time out in Australia before crashing out of qualifying in Q2, and he also set the pace in FP2 in Bahrain, only to end up ninth on the grid.
In Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, George Russell was second-fastest to end the first day of running.
After what sounded like their best day ‘for years’, Hill is hopeful that the Brackley outfit can carry the momentum through the weekend.
He said: “You’re hoping that their enthusiasm for this car at the moment is not going to be dashed tomorrow, because we’ve seen the up and down nature of Mercedes.
“But that’s the most positive I’ve heard these drivers sound for years.”
Who is Mercedes chief Bradley Lord?
Bradley Lord, who acts as the communications director Mercedes, is also feeling cautiously optimistic.
He revealed during Sky Sports F1’s coverage of FP2 that both drivers had expressed their satisfaction in the garage.
He said: “I think we learned that, in that session and in those conditions, we had the car in a much happier place.
“They both came back in after their first runs saying it feels night and day better through the esses and through the bits where the car’s really on the edge than it did when we were here last year and with the car from the year before as well.
“Hopefully we’ve made a step in the right direction in terms of getting the balance of front-tyre temps, rear-tyre temps much more where we want it.
“Now we need to carry that work through, because we’ve seen these flashes of performance and promise, and then it hasn’t come together when it’s mattered.
“That’s what we’re aiming to change this weekend.”
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