Mercedes won’t run its problematic ground first launched at Spa at any level within the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, because it assesses whether or not this has prompted its post-Belgium victory kind dip.
Mercedes entered 2024’s current summer season break on the again of three wins in 4 races – together with an on-the-road 1-2 at Spa – however the Belgian victory ultimately handed to Lewis Hamilton got here after it had chosen to not race its newest ground growth, having detected issues with it in that occasion’s opening follow classes.
On the post-break Dutch GP, the place Mercedes struggled for race tempo after main FP2, a deliberate back-to-back take a look at of the brand new and outdated ground specs was thwarted by the inclement climate at Zandvoort, the place Mercedes selected to suit the newer ground forward of its poor race in any case.
It then accomplished the back-to-back evaluation on Friday at Monza final outing – round Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashing George Russell’s automobile and leaving Mercedes gentle on spare flooring – earlier than once more becoming the newer model for the rest of the weekend.
Russell then managed to outqualify Charles Leclerc’s race-winning Ferrari at Monza, however then didn’t make an impression within the race after his first nook mistake, whereas Hamilton didn’t bother the main positions in both qualifying or the race in Italy.
Autosport/Motorsport.com understands that Mercedes has determined to not run the Spa ground in any respect in Baku to achieve a full weekend of information on how the automobile – which had upgrades to its diffuser, beam wing, entrance wing and halo that stay fitted, that means Mercedes has not reverted to its full pre-Spa Hungarian GP specification – performs with out it.
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15
Picture by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Photos
When requested to touch upon what he suspected had stopped Mercedes replicating its Spa kind ever since – significantly if there have been situations or circumstances along with the confusion over the ground that had maybe performed a component – Hamilton replied: “There are many query marks on loads of it.
“I feel we’re simply attempting to grasp it. It may very well be quite a few issues. It may very well be track-dependent, it may very well be the improve. My intestine is telling me it may very well be the improve but it surely’s laborious to see the distinction between the 2.
“However we’ll do this weekend [and] roll again on a few of it and see whether or not or not we are able to spot it.
“There’s loads of work occurring simply to analyse it as a result of it offers the crew a greater route of the place they are going for growth, not only for this automobile however for subsequent yr as effectively.”
It will allow it to determine easy methods to adapt the ground or different areas of the W15 going ahead, and even drop it altogether, given the crew is satisfied it’s a step ahead when it comes to including downforce, albeit it’s only a small one.
McLaren made a substantial web achieve this yr by holding again on a deliberate ground improve it thought would make its automobile faster after recognizing an issue in its growth information that the orange crew felt would doubtless journey it up in an identical approach to Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari and Purple Bull have all endured this yr.
When Autosport/Motorsport.com put Hamilton’s “intestine feeling” remark to Russell in Baku on Thursday, he mentioned: “The improve wasn’t a considerable efficiency enchancment and typically you have to take a look at issues simply objectively.
“And we introduced a brand new ground, we dropped in efficiency, and that was the primary factor that that modified.
“We knew the improve wasn’t sort of going to set the world on hearth. It was simply type of one other step within the route that we have been pursuing.
“So, reverting to the pre-Spa iteration of ground, if every thing had been to be completely appropriate on paper, it is a small delta.
“It is higher the satan you realize typically. We all know what that ground gives. We all know precisely the place the setup must be, and typically with a brand new improve it takes quite a few races to type of study and perceive.
“So, yeah, possibly made that intestine feeling [Hamilton referenced] is appropriate.”
