Mercedes are coming off their finest weekend of the whole 2024 season within the Canadian Grand Prix. George Russell scored the crew’s first podium in a Grand Prix this season, with a second-place end after qualifying on pole place, and the fourth-place end from teammate Lewis Hamilton — coupled with the bonus level for the quickest lap of the Grand Prix — noticed the Silver Arrows financial institution 28 factors over their weekend in Montreal.
Can they maintain that momentum entering into Barcelona?
Previewing this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff outlined how the crew hopes to maintain the momentum going, however the configuration of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya might pose a stiff check for the upgraded W15.
“We have continued to make incremental features throughout the previous few races. It was encouraging subsequently to take one other constructive step ahead in Canada,” stated Wolff within the crew’s media preview. “To see that translate into our strongest crew results of the season to this point is a reward for everybody’s arduous work.”
Wolff cautioned that not solely is the circuit in Montreal “distinctive,” however Mercedes will not be the one crew working arduous at upgrading their challenger.
“The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a novel observe, nevertheless. It has a slender vary of nook speeds and, with a newly re-laid floor, was one thing of an outlier in comparison with extra conventional venues,” added Wolff. “We know our opponents will carry out extra strongly at upcoming races so we might want to proceed to work arduous to constantly get ourselves within the battle for podiums, and ultimately race wins.”
As for what to anticipate in Barcelona, Wolff outlined that the Spanish Grand Prix is likely to be the most effective measuring stick but for a way far the crew has progressed with the W15.
“Barcelona will present a very good check of our progress. It has a mixture of quick, medium, and low velocity corners, an extended straight and loads of elevation change,” described Wolff. “Tracks that include this broad velocity vary have been a weak spot of ours to this point this yr. This weekend will subsequently present one other alternative to guage our progress via our latest updates, and we hope to construct on the constructive momentum from Montreal.”
Mercedes enter the Spanish Grand Prix nonetheless in fourth place within the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship, however the 28 factors they banked in Montreal noticed the crew inch nearer to not solely Red Bull on the high of the desk, but Ferrari in second:
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Not solely did Mercedes outscore Red Bull 28-25 in Montreal, however they outscored Ferrari 28-0 due to a double DNF from the Scuderia.
It is likely to be arduous to duplicated that in Barcelona, the place Red Bull is predicted to carry out properly and Ferrari is likely to be bringing some upgrades of their very own, however the outcomes these previous few weeks point out that progress is actually occurring at Mercedes.
