Mercedes F1 teases more advancements without revealing specifics, as Shovlin opts for discretion in strategy disclosure.
Mercedes F1 confirmed in Spain that its W15 is now performing at a very high level, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton securing the second row and a new podium. Andrew Shovlin, the team’s trackside engineering director, confirmed that Barcelona was a test following progress shown in Canada.
“Before heading to Barcelona, we questioned whether it was the specificity of the Montreal circuit that allowed George to secure pole position and if our results were solid,” said Shovlin. “Montreal is an unusual race. It features many slow corners, and it was cold, making generating temperature a real challenge.”
“Barcelona is much warmer, with more speed and more energy. It’s a circuit that gives a good indication of a car’s strengths and weaknesses. So, it’s very encouraging for us to see that we were fast enough to make it to the podium without benefiting from others’ misfortune.”
“It’s clear that the car is performing well. But we also know that we need to continue delivering these updates, and we are working hard to achieve this, as the gap has been closing. I hope we can keep reducing it and reach a point where we can compete for wins.”
The engineer is pleased to see this progress but knows repeating it in Austria will not be simple: “It’s fantastic to see both drivers on the podium for the past two weekends. It’s a sign of the progress we’ve made through hard work at the factory.”
“But we want more, we aim to do better than third places, we are working hard, we have plans and we have parts arriving, and we hope all this will bear fruit. As for Austria, it’s a tricky circuit and a sprint race. During a Sprint weekend, you have one hour to set up the car.”
“Now, with the recent changes we’ve made to the car, it’s easier to work with. The drivers have been much more satisfied with the initial settings, and we’ve had to make fewer adjustments. I hope this will put us in a good position to start the weekend.”
“There are then two qualifying sessions, two separate races, so there’s a lot to manage. But the drivers, the team, everyone is enjoying driving the car we have now. We are fighting for the most important points and are looking forward to going to Austria.”
Mercedes is obviously working on new developments but does not want to give a date for their arrival: “We have a plan to improve the car’s performance, and we’ve been working on certain areas recently, like aerodynamic development and mechanical development.”
“So, we don’t want to give our competitors an idea of when we will bring an evolution because they will then push to try to bring one earlier. But it is certain that we have more things to come. We can see that the gap is closing and, as it closes, it further motivates people to bring things.”
“Just bringing a few hundredths of a second to a car can put you higher on the grid, and that gives you the opportunity to finish in better positions. So, we are fully committed, but I won’t tell you exactly what the development plans are for the upcoming races.”
Shovlin Keeps Mum on F1 Details, Hints at Future. Shovlin Keeps Mum on F1 Details, Hints at Future
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