The Mercedes team went into the Dutch Grand Prix with great hopes, backed by their good results before the summer break. The heated competition between Red Bull, McLaren, and Mercedes was highly anticipated. However, the Silver Arrows’ performance was rather poor, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton placing seventh and eighth, respectively, failing to make an impactful impression.
Following this dismal performance, the Brackley-based squad received a barrage of criticism, prompting immediate comments from team management. The team agreed that the new ‘floor’ was to blame. This tweak threw off the balance of the W15, making it difficult for the drivers to find their rhythm on the track. Thus, the Three-Pointed Star is in action mode, ready to perform back-to-back floor tests.
George Russell Explains Zandvoort Issue Ahead Of The Italian Showdown
The Silver Arrows squad unveiled its latest floor development at the Belgian race on the eve of this season’s summer break. However, the team didn’t race with it at the Spa due to confusing results regarding drag levels. At last week’s Dutch GP, it decided to press on with it added to both W15s after a similar back-to-back comparison in opening practice at Zandvoort. However, after discovering “we don’t fully know” how the new floor was really performing in the Zandvoort weekend, where it struggled more than expected after winning at Spa, Mercedes has decided to evaluate its new and older floors further in Friday afternoon’s FP1 session at Monza.
As the Monza weekend began, George Russell addressed the issues Mercedes faced at Zandvoort. He revealed that, aside from ongoing concerns about the new floor, the team discovered that one of the car’s changes didn’t quite lead to the desired performance. This realization only became apparent after a thorough post-race analysis, where it became evident that this specific adjustment had cost them valuable time on the track, something they now aim to avoid in future races.
Moreover, the Briton also emphasized that Monza presents another opportunity to test the new floor, which was initially introduced at Spa. He clarified that while the floor wasn’t solely to blame for Mercedes’ drop in performance compared to McLaren and Red Bull—teams they had outpaced in Belgium—the upgrade had become a focal point. He pointed out that any upgrade typically offers a small gain, but overall performance can fluctuate significantly from race to race. He expressed confidence that the floor upgrade is functioning as intended, suggesting that the challenges faced in Zandvoort were not due to the new component. However, he acknowledged that Monza could provide new insights, though he remained optimistic that the floor was performing as expected.
George Russell Expresses Excitement About Kimi Antonelli’s Imminent Mercedes Entry
Kimi Antonelli is set to replace Lewi Hamilton in the Monza FP1 sessions. Furthermore, sources indicate that he will shortly be identified as George Russell’s companion in 2025 and beyond. Russell recently offered his opinion on the young Italian prodigy. The Briton maintains a close watch on Kimi throughout each F2 race.
However, he was able to drive alongside Kimi in a Silverstone test. Russell recalled Kimi’s remarkable speed during the test drive. As a result, he feels the rookies will excel once he is given the opportunity in Formula One.