Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, the 8-time constructors champions, took three years to finally adapt to the current aerodynamic regulations that were initially enforced in 2021. Despite starting the 2024 season in mid-field, the Silver Arrows covered ground quickly to win three of the last four races.
However, Mercedes penned a few last moment changes at the recently concluded Belgian Grand Prix after underwhelming practice sessions. While the changes worked as George Russell and Lewis Hamilton nearly pulled a 1-2 finish, trackside performance engineer Andrew Shovlin hinted at additional changes in the car at the Dutch Grand Prix scheduled at Zandvoort.
Mercedes To Reinstall Spa Upgrade Package In Zandvoort
Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had a concerning grin on their faces following the Spa practice session as the car lacked pace and stability throughout Friday. Hence, the engineers decided to scrap the upgrade package introduced for the Belgian Grand Prix and reverted back to Silverstone specs. The last-minute changes resulted in a 1-2 finish before FIA disqualified Russell over an underweight car. Regardless, despite a strong weekend, trackside performance engineer Andrew Shovlin confirmed that Spa upgrades will be reinstalled at Zandvoort. He explained that the latest package resulted in a bouncing issue, and the car was highly unstable at high-speed corners. Since the Spa circuit was fast, the team decided to revert back to Silverstone specs.
Having said that, Shovlin explained that the core issue of the bouncing problem didn’t originate from the upgraded parts. Instead, the team got the setup wrong, which contributed to underwhelming practice sessions. “We have since had time to look at the data to understand what it was that we did, and we are pretty confident that we will be going for a reintroduction in Zandvoort,” Shovlin said. Notably, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff earlier stated that the team has an extensive number of upgrades in the pipeline. Almost every weekend, the Silver Arrows will try to bring new parts. With the development path finally headed in the right direction, the team wants to squeeze maximum advantage to regain competitiveness and chase the Red Bulls. Also, having a competitive car is important to lure top drivers to join Mercedes in 2025, as Lewis Hamilton will shift his base to Maranello to drive for Ferrari.
Andrew Shovlin Blames Excessive Tyre, Plank Wear For Russell DSQ
Mercedes trackside engineer, Andrew Shovlin revealed that the team is still gathering data on what led George Russell’s underweight car that got him disqualified at the Belgian Grand Prix. Shovlin believes excessive wear from plank and tyre degradation appear big factors as Russell and Hamilton’s car weighed the same before the start of the race.
Additionally, Andrew Shovlin also states that drivers weight is also important. And it appears George Russell lost more weight during the race than any other driver on the grid. However, irrespective of the causes, the disqualification was unfortunate as Russell truly deserved the victory for his incredible drive on 31-lap degraded old hard tyre compound.
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