Although McLaren and Williams have dominated headlines since the Dutch GP, last weekend was also hugely significant for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows suffered their worst performance in months at Zandvoort. Perhaps most concerningly, the W15 showed signs of the unpredictability that plagued it at the beginning of 2024.
Mercedes work to understand latest upgrades
A surprise drop-off for Mercedes
Mercedes were expected to fight for victory, or at least a podium finish, after Friday Practice last week. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were competitive in both qualifying and race simulations.
However, this early promise failed to materialise when it really mattered.
Mercedes were mystified by their downward trajectory, with Russell admitting that the W15’s pace simply “disappeared.”
Speaking after a frustrating Grand Prix, Toto Wolff gave his assessment:
“Sometimes these cars are a surprise,” he told the media.
“We’ve had six podiums in a row, and the car doesn’t look like the one that was first and second three weeks ago.
“And you can’t have a result like that without a big factor at play.
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions too quickly. We’ll look at it in the coming days and hopefully find some clues in the data.
“Was it the set-up? Was it the track? What did we do wrong? Was it the underbody? Was it all of the things together?
“Hopefully, we can sort it out by Monza and be competitive again.”
Every reason to bounce back
Whilst the Dutch GP was disappointing for Mercedes, there is no reason to ring the alarm.
Zandvoort was the first time since Monaco that Mercedes didn’t have any representation on the podium.
Considering the W15’s initial limitations are mainly in the past, it seems reasonable to assume normal service will be resumed this weekend.
However, Toto Wolff’s personnel must be ready for a potential resurgence from Ferrari.
The Italian squad are bringing an important upgrade package to Monza.
Should these updates work as intended, the SF-24 could return to race-winning contention.
In this scenario, Mercedes must contend with at least two teams – not forgetting Max Verstappen – in the battle for wins.
Like their rivals, the Brackley-based operation needs upgrades to stay at the front.
Mercedes reintroduced the updates initially meant to debut in Belgium in Zandvoort.
Understanding these new components will be essential to the team’s progress this season.
Not only will these upgrades produce more pace, but they can provide a platform for the final phase of their 2024 development.
