Mercedes Eyes Consistency with W15 Upgrades for São Paulo

George Russell anticipates a stronger Mercedes performance in Brazil, as both W15s debut floor updates aiming for greater consistency.

George Russell hopes to see Mercedes F1 make progress this weekend with a new floor, which both his and Lewis Hamilton’s W15s will use. According to the Briton, the priority is to have a more predictable car.

“We’re aiming for a more consistent platform, as we believe that’s what has caught both Lewis and me out several times in recent races. I have a few new elements on my side, so that’s always a positive,” Russell stated.

“We’ll both be running the new floor. There’s a slight difference in specifications for testing purposes, but it’s not an actual update. It’s simply part of normal aerodynamic testing.”

“We’re confident the new floor is at the performance level we expect, so we have it on both cars. We hope it will bring us closer to the front. We’ll see what we can achieve.”

Russell acknowledges that overall, throughout the season, the W15 has perhaps been the most inconsistent Mercedes in this ground-effect era.

“I think in 2022, in the porpoising era, it was undoubtedly much more uncomfortable. But due to the nature of these cars, it was much harder to get close to the limit because you were literally bouncing in every corner and knew it was going to bite.”

“The problem we have with this car right now is that you think it won’t bite, and you can put in a very good lap. Then suddenly, nothing changes—or at least you feel like nothing has changed—and in the next lap, you lose all that performance.”

“So, it’s undoubtedly the most inconsistent performance our team has ever experienced.”

A factor for Mercedes this weekend will be the impact of the new track surface on the tires, as the W15 is very sensitive to it. A deep black asphalt should ensure a warm track.

“The color of the tarmac has an impact, so the darker it is, the higher the temperature.”

“On the other hand, it’s a very smooth surface, so the tires may warm up more and be less penalized because it’s very smooth. That’s the theory.”

“But we don’t know if that will be good or bad for us. Austin is the best example: on Friday in qualifying, we’re both fighting for pole. On Saturday in qualifying, Lewis is knocked out in Q1, I end up in the wall, and nothing had changed.”