The Mercedes W15 is facing a decrease in speed as the race weekend progresses, posing a significant issue for the team. Toto Wolff, George Russell, and Lewis Hamilton have expressed their concerns about this issue.
After pre-season testing in Bahrain before the start of the F1 season, Mercedes was initially optimistic about their performance. The Technical Chief also mentioned that the car had become more predictable and stable. Both Mercedes drivers and Lewis Hamilton agreed with this assessment, believing that the car had improved its overall performance.
However, the results obtained by the German manufacturer in the first two races of the Grand Prix season, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, have dampened the initial positivity. The team faced cooling issues in Bahrain, resulting in a loss of up to four tenths per lap. The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was even more disappointing, with George Russell finishing sixth and Lewis Hamilton ninth.
“We are still trying to understand the performance of this car, because we have shown glimpses of excellence in the last two weekends. We need to understand the reasons behind this, as the competition is extremely fierce between us, McLaren, Aston, and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. We just need to unlock a little more,” Russell stated.
Russell also acknowledged that the issues with the car seem to be deeply rooted. He appeared visibly frustrated trying to catch up to Fernando Alonso, a two-time world champion for Aston Martin. In the end, Russell finished 21 seconds behind the podium.
The Technical Director of Mercedes, James Allison, commented on the cooling issues faced by the team in Bahrain and the uncertainty surrounding the cause during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. He emphasized that it is premature to draw conclusions after just two races. However, it seems that Mercedes is facing challenges again for the third consecutive year. It will be interesting to see how the iconic German manufacturer can reverse the situation and challenge Max Verstappen throughout the rest of the season.
