Mercedes F1 faces another race with their old floor as they postpone the debut of a new design until after Singapore.
Mercedes F1 returned to the podium in Baku but it was undeserved according to Toto Wolff, the team director.
George Russell indeed capitalized on a late-race collision between Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez to move from 5th to 3rd place.
The W15 is not yet fast enough and that will still be the case in Singapore, says the Austrian. Things might change with a brand new floor planned after the four-week autumn break between Singapore and Austin.
“We are heading straight to Singapore for the second race of this back-to-back,” comments Wolff.
“Although it is a street circuit like Baku, Marina Bay poses a different challenge. Physically, it is incredibly demanding for the drivers and team members. Heat and humidity play a significant role, but so does the track itself. It is bumpy in places, features a mix of low and high-speed turns, and the walls are there to catch you.”
“After a mixed weekend in Azerbaijan, we will learn from Baku and aim for a better performance in Singapore.”
“At times, our pace was high, but we could not maintain it consistently. Our main challenge was managing tire temperature and we know we need to improve. It is encouraging to see that, once we get the car working, we will have the pace needed to be competitive.”
“Even though we left with a podium, we know it was fortuitous and that we were 5th on merit.”
Having lost pace after a resurgence before the summer break, Mercedes F1 is thus pinning its hopes on a brand new floor it will introduce in Austin.
In the meantime, for the next race in Singapore, it will be another race with the floor they used in Baku, the one that was in use before Spa.
“It’s not as if it’s night and day between the floor before Spa and the one we set aside after Zandvoort and Monza,” admits Wolff.
“We’ve still suffered the same balance issues we had with the new floor. In Singapore, we’ll have the same and we must race with it. But from Austin onward, we are likely to switch to a new specification.”
And by new, he means “new new specification,” not the one from Spa. But what will be used in the race will be decided after testing.
“We will have to look at the data in Austin. You opt for a brand new floor when the new one isn’t performing properly, but the old one isn’t at its best either. So the old new or the new new, we still don’t know which will be used in the race in the USA.”
A special livery for Singapore
The team will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Petronas by sporting a special and unique livery during this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, seen below.
The dominant color on the W15 will be the iconic emerald green of the team’s technical and title partner, replacing the silver on the nose and sidepods.
With Malaysia bordering the Asian city-state, the Singapore Grand Prix is the closest race to Petronas’ home. Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell will all visit Petronas in Malaysia next week as part of plans to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.
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Wolff Claims Mercedes Podium in Baku Undeserved Wolff Claims Mercedes Podium in Baku Undeserved
