This weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix will test a key problem for Mercedes.
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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed that this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix will offer the Silver Arrows a chance to evaluate a key “weakness” they hope has been solved.
The Brackley-based team heads to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya following its strongest performance of the season in Montreal, where George Russell converted pole position into a podium finish.
A recent upgrade package, which includes a new front wing, has brought the W15 to life. However, this weekend’s venue’s traditional nature will truly test their progress.
Fighting with Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari on merit in the Canadian Grand Prix has been a huge boost for Mercedes. Still, Wolff is aware that their rivals will perform very well in the upcoming races.
“We have continued to make incremental gains across the past few races,”
said Wolff.
“It was encouraging therefore to take another positive step forward in Canada.
“To see that translate into our strongest team result of the season so far is a reward for everyone’s hard work. The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a unique track, however.
“It has a narrow range of corner speeds and, with a newly re-laid surface, was something of an outlier compared to more traditional venues.
“We know our competitors will perform more strongly at upcoming races so we will need to continue to work hard to consistently get ourselves in the fight for podiums, and eventually race wins.”
This weekend is crucial for Mercedes, as it will reveal whether the previously dominant team is back in genuine victory contention.
Mercedes has struggled this season at circuits with a “wide speed range” in the corners, something the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya has with its mix of low, medium, and high-speed turns.
It offers the Silver Arrows a chance to test whether they have made substantial progress, given that if a car performs well in the Spanish GP, it should perform well anywhere.
“Barcelona will provide a good test of our progress,” added Wolff. “It has a mix of fast, medium, and low-speed corners, a long straight, and plenty of elevation change.
“Tracks that contain this wide speed range have been our weakness so far this year.
“This weekend will, therefore, provide another opportunity to evaluate our progress through our recent updates, and we hope to build on the positive momentum from Montreal.”
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