Mercedes left the Spanish GP satisfied with their performance, confirming their recent progress. The W15 has seen several updates in recent events, including a new front wing and lighter floor. Everything is working as designed, giving both driver and team confidence in the path ahead. At the end of the race, team principal Toto Wolff was satisfied with the result achieved in Barcelona:
“It’s a solid result. It’s the second time we’re on the podium. The car has improved, but you can see that it still needs a few tenths to catch Norris and Verstappen.
“For us today, it was impossible to fight with them. But we can glean a lot of positives from today. We have made several steps forward in previous races and it is nice to see the progress made confirmed here in Spain. We haven’t reached the top yet, so we need to do more to get there.
“However, we are on a positive development path, and it’s great to be back in the game.”
The positive news, after a weekend of rumours, accusations and discussions, was also the return of Lewis Hamilton to the podium, with a convincing performance. Regarding the performance of his two drivers, Toto Wolff said:
“It was also fantastic to see two of the best overtakes that I haven’t seen for a long time. George made a great start and braked late to take the lead.
“Lewis’ overtake on Sainz in the meantime was correct and at an important moment in his race. It’s been a long time since we’ve enjoyed a Grand Prix like this with a podium with Lewis.”
WOLFF: “GAP NARROW, BUT THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO. WITH THE BEST CAR WE CAN CONVINCE THE BEST DRIVERS TO COME.”
Moving on to the technical side, the Austrian team principal emphasised the team’s progress. After a tricky two years, Mercedes now has a better understanding of ground-effect cars.
This can partly be attributed to the decision to the W15’s new front wing spec:
“Our correlation between the wind tunnel and the track didn’t work for a good two years. Since Imola, all the small updates we brought have improved the balance, and they made the W15 a better car.
“They are small steps, but they make the difference.”
Wolff admits that George Russell did not have the best strategy. However, circumstances made it difficult for Mercedes to optimise his race:
“The strategy with George was wrong, and we also had a slow pitstop. But if we see Lewis, [he] was able to keep pace with the best in the end and finished 15 seconds behind. So, potentially, there was a 10-second gap.
“We are, therefore, closer now. We thought the Hard was the best choice, and they didn’t have any other new Softs.
“Geroge was the first one we stopped, and we immediately realised that it hadn’t been the best choice. Lewis managed to extend the stint and then had the advantage of being able to switch to the Soft at the end.“
Looking ahead to the next circuits, Wolff is optimistic about what the W15 can do in Silverstone. However, he is less enthusiastic about Austria:
“I think that Norris and Verstappen have been and will be fast on all the circuits. Austria historically hasn’t gone well for us, I don’t know how it will go this year.
“But Silverstone is certainly a fast circuit that we know well where the car has always worked well. Victories in the future?
“The gap from those in front is around 2-3 tenths, and we must try to reduce it as much as possible, even if the others will also bring updates. In Canada, we probably surprised ourselves. We could have won, but we didn’t seize the opportunity.”
Observing the progress made by the team, the Mercedes team principal believes that the possibility of a hypothetical landing of Max Verstappen alongside Russell could grow weekend after weekend, despite Christian Horner’s statements in which he shielded the Dutch champion:
“Horner said that he will remain. Let’s see, we leave him with this idea. There is no chatter going on with Max, we need to focus on ourselves and improve the car now.
“Possibility for Max and Kimi? No decision has been made yet. We want to make this decision as late as possible because anything can still happen.
“I’ve always said that we have to focus on ourselves in improving the car, and if the car is going to be better, usually all the drivers want to drive as fast as possible, and that’s our priority.
“We need to allow Lewis and George to finish the season at a high level. And then let’s see if the W15 will be a car that Max can convince. We need to consolidate our position and fight for podiums, and be able to fight for victories.
“Having good cars will, therefore, bring good drivers.”
