Mercedes have been bringing upgrades to their W15 car in recent races as they try to close the gap on the top three teams. The problem is that those ahead have been doing the same.
The Silver Arrows have introduced the year’s first significant set of developments over the last two races in Miami and Emilia Romagna. But there hasn’t been any immediate upturn in results.
They’ve collected only 26 points across the two events, with both drivers stuck between sixth and eighth. Indeed, Mercedes finds itself in something of a no man’s land at the moment between the frontrunners and the upper midfield.
Toto Wolff’s team have built up a 35-point cushion over the declining Aston Martin team behind them. But McLaren are now 75 up the road.
The Woking outfit unveiled an ‘astonishing’ upgrade in Miami, while Ferrari responded with an extensive series of updates a couple of weeks later. Red Bull also bolted on some new parts at Imola.
The result is that Mercedes don’t appear to have made much visible progress. But with 17 races still to go in F1’s longest-ever season, they’ll hope they can eventually provide Lewis Hamilton and George Russell with the tools to score some big results.
Lewis Hamilton was concerned about damaging new Mercedes front wing
Mercedes have managed to get another revised component off the production line in time for Monaco in the form of a new front wing. However, they’ve only been able to build one rather than two.
In the past, we’ve seen the team’s highest-scoring driver get priority when it comes to upgrades. This was what happened with McLaren’s Lando Norris in Miami, for instance.
Russell is currently nine points ahead of Hamilton in the standings, but that’s not why he’s running the wing. According to Sky Sports F1’s Ted Kravitz, an agreement was reached behind the scenes.
Hamilton was ‘worried’ that he might hit the wall during qualifying on Saturday, necessitating a change. If there’s any circuit where there’s a real danger of such an incident, it’s Monaco.
Parc ferme rules forbid teams from altering their car in any way from the start of qualifying onwards. And reverting to the old front wing (with only a single new one available) would mean dropping to the back of the grid.
“They agreed between George and Lewis that George would run it, because George was happy to,” Kravitz said. “Lewis was worried, so the team say, about the risk of damage between qualifying and the race.
“If they had to change it, of course, they’d have to change it to an old spec. That would require a pit lane start because it wouldn’t be of the same specification.”
Martin Brundle not convinced by what Lewis Hamilton is saying about Ferrari
Hamilton insists he remains as committed to Mercedes as ever as he prepares to join Ferrari in 2025. And Wolff has also praised the professionalism he’s shown since the winter announcement.
But Sky F1’s Martin Brundle says Hamilton simply must have an eye on the Scuderia’s performances this season. They’ve made tangible progress this year, climbing from third to second in the championship.
Hamilton received a ‘fantastic reception’ from the Tifosi at Imola last weekend. And he was also seen waving to the crowd during a red-flag period in practice.
Damon Hill has said that Wolff will block any attempt from the seven-time world champion to visit Ferrari’s HQ during the season. While he remains under contract at Mercedes, he shouldn’t be ‘fraternising with the enemy’.
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