Arguably, the team most eagerly awaiting the results from the Spanish GP is Mercedes. The first Pole Position and podium of the year arrived in Canada. This reversed the trend from the opening rounds, where the
The team’s consistent speed in Montreal was significant. There is curiosity across the paddock to see how Mercedes performs at a more conventional circuit – especially compared to Ferrari and McLaren.
Toto Wolff explained what will be the key with which the team will approach the weekend in Spain.
Mercedes’ confidence after the best weekend of the year in Canada
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said he was more than optimistic ahead of the weekend at Montmelò. In fact, Mercedes had their best weekend of the season in Canada. The Canadian GP was one of many encouraging events for the Silver Arrows.
“We have continued to make incremental improvements over the last few races. It was, therefore, encouraging to take another positive step forward in Canada. Seeing this translate into our team’s best result of the season so far is a reward for everyone’s hard work.”
Thus, the leader of the Silver Arrows is optimistic after the team claimed its first Pole Position in almost a year. Now, what must be resolved is whether this performance can be consistently replicated.
“The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is, however, a unique track. It has a narrow range of cornering speeds and, with a newly resurfaced surface, it was something of an anomaly compared to more traditional circuits.”
TOTO WOLFF: “IN BARCELONA, WE WILL UNDERSTAND IF WE HAVE SOLVED SOME PROBLEMS”
A question m comparison with Ferrari and McLaren, whose mutual gap can often be defined in details that can change from race to race.
“We know that our rivals will express themselves more strongly in the next races. So we will have to continue to work hard to continue fighting for the podium and, ultimately, to win races.”
Clearly, Toto Wolff is confident. Mercedes joined Ferrari and McLaren as contenders to defeat Red Bull in Canada. Barcelona should shine some insight into whether this is a sign of things to come.
“Barcelona will be a good test for our progress. It has a mix of fast, medium and low corners, a long straight and numerous drops.”
The Mercedes team principal then underlined how the history of tracks similar to Montmelò does not please Mercedes, which could prove to be a further factor in understanding whether some of the shortcomings that penalized performance in the first part of the season have been resolved.
“Trails that contain this wide range of speeds have been a weakness of ours so far this year. This weekend will, therefore, provide another opportunity to evaluate our progress through our recent updates, and we hope to build on the positive momentum from Montreal.”
