In a disappointing Saudi Arabian GP, Mercedes F1 faced challenges with strategy and car performance, particularly affecting Russell and Hamilton.
Toto Wolff was displeased with his team, Mercedes F1’s, showing at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. George Russell finished sixth and Lewis Hamilton ninth following a bold strategy that did not pay off, aimed at mitigating the shortcomings of the W15.
“It wasn’t a good day for us,” conceded Toto Wolff. “It’s evident we’re struggling with the W15 in high-speed corners. We’re competitive elsewhere but in three corners here, we were losing about half a second.”
“It was incredibly challenging for the drivers to push. We tried something different with the strategy but unfortunately, given the low degradation levels observed on the track, it didn’t work out for us.”
“Kudos must go to Ollie Bearman; he stepped into the car at very short notice and delivered a solid performance, especially in his final stint. It demonstrates the high level in Formula 2.”
Wolff reflects on the first two races of the 2024 season: “There’s so much we can learn from these first two race weekends. We need to analyze, understand, and improve.”
“It’s clear we have a lot of work to do, but these challenging days make you better. Everyone is determined to improve the car, and we’re looking forward to coming back stronger in Australia.”
“A very frustrating weekend”
The Brackley team is disheartened to finish behind a McLaren and an Aston Martin, indicating further progress is needed, if only to return to a form akin to last year.
“We didn’t perform this weekend,” continues Andrew Shovlin, trackside engineering director. “Our high-speed performance was lacking, and the car was bouncing in those corners.”
“This contributed to our poor qualifying, but also meant we couldn’t compete with Aston Martin and the McLarens in the race. We lost so much time in the first sector that we spent the rest of the lap trying to recover it.”
“Overall, it was a very frustrating weekend, but ultimately, we created it. We glimpsed good performance, but finding the right setups wasn’t easy.”
“We clearly have some weaknesses that still need to be addressed. A lot of hard work is required before Melbourne to progress. The tracks are similar, and we don’t want another weekend like this.”
Mercedes F1 Saudi GP 2024. Mercedes F1 Saudi GP 2024.
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