Daily News 19

Tag: Mercedes

  • McLaren Tipped to Become Mercedes’ Main Rival by the End of the 2026 F1 Season

    McLaren Tipped to Become Mercedes’ Main Rival by the End of the 2026 F1 Season

    Former Alpine Formula 1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer expects McLaren to emerge as Mercedes’ closest rival by the end of the 2026 season.

    Speaking on the High Performance Racing podcast with broadcaster Jake Humphrey, Szafnauer discussed the changing competitive order at the front of the Formula 1 grid after Lando Norris secured consecutive victories at the Hungarian and Dutch Grands Prix.

    McLaren upgrades could transform the F1 title fight

    McLaren has introduced significant upgrades at recent races. With the team’s development package now fully integrated ahead of the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Szafnauer believes the Woking-based outfit can overtake Ferrari in the constructors’ championship and mount a stronger challenge to Mercedes.

    “Monza will be very important because [McLaren] brought an upgrade that did work in Hungary. I think they continued with that upgrade from what I read in Zandvoort, and now the upgrade’s complete. Let’s see how they go in Monza,” Szafnauer explained.

    “I still think they’re going to be Mercedes’ closest competitor at the end of the season. I said that at the beginning, but it seemed like it was Ferrari. And I think it’s ebbing and flowing, the relative performance due to the fact that not all of the upgrades are coming at the same time, and the upgrades are significant.

    “In a year where the regulations are new, you find a lot, right? So your learning curve is very steep. So when you bring that upgrade relative to those who haven’t, you make a step. And I think we saw that with Alpine as well. After Racing Bulls had their upgrade, they were significantly quicker than Alpine. It looked like they were going to get them. And now they’re there or thereabouts.”

    Lando Norris, McLaren. Photo by Eric Le Galliot.

    Mercedes upgrades limited by the cost cap

    Szafnauer also addressed why constructors’ championship leader Mercedes has spread its upgrades across the season instead of introducing new components more frequently. He attributed the team’s cautious approach to Formula 1’s cost cap.

    “Cost cap. They have upgrades now that they could bring, but once you start making those parts, it costs you, and they’ll go over the cap,” he said. “So what they’re going to do, my guess is, one more upgrade, Malaysia/Singapore timeframe.

    “That doesn’t mean the learning stops. The learning continues in the background. You’re still doing CFD work. You’re still doing wind tunnel work. You’re still making wind tunnel parts. All that’s planned.

    “It’s just a question of when you stop to actually bring that upgrade package. And that’s where the money is. When you make realised car parts, they cost: new wings, new floors, new bodywork. And I predict they’ll have one more big upgrade as opposed to a lot of little ones because they can’t afford it. They’re at the cap.”

  • “How can you allow this?” Toto Wolff Reveals Niki Lauda Story Behind Lewis Hamilton’s Iconic F1 Pole

    “How can you allow this?” Toto Wolff Reveals Niki Lauda Story Behind Lewis Hamilton’s Iconic F1 Pole

    When Toto Wolff met a select group of Dutch journalists for his annual media session at Zandvoort, one topic was how Formula 1 teams can get the best performance from their drivers—and how much freedom a team principal should give a star competitor.

    Max Verstappen is the most prominent current example. Red Bull allows him considerable freedom away from Formula 1, including involvement with his own racing team and endurance events such as the Nürburgring 24 Hours.

    The Dutchman competes in those events with a Mercedes-AMG GT3, raising the question of whether another F1 team, including Mercedes, would offer a driver like Verstappen the same latitude.

    Wolff said the answer depends on understanding each driver as an individual and identifying the conditions that allow them to perform at their best.

    “I think every team is different, but I think what I am trying to do is to identify what it is that makes the driver fast within our structure,” Wolff said.

    “What kind of framework do we need to provide to extract the best performance of the driver, and part of that is obviously the well-being. And that is something that I am very keen on as well.

    “I have never put drivers in a box and have never said this is how you need to be.”

    Max Verstappen, Mercedes-AMG GT3. Photo by: Miguel Reis / NurPhoto via Getty Images

    “Toto, how on earth can you allow this?”

    In Verstappen’s case, that freedom includes competing in other racing series. Wolff recalled an earlier example from his time as an F1 team principal: Lewis Hamilton’s passion for fashion, particularly around the 2018 Singapore Grand Prix.

    “I remember Lewis Hamilton with his fashion collection back in the day and there was this Singapore race. I remember it was 2018 or 2019, when he launched his Tommy Hilfiger collection,” Wolff recounted.

    “He had a fashion show in Shanghai where he FaceTimed us. He was grateful that Mercedes changed from Boss to Hilfiger to allow him to have his own collection. He showed everything and said, look at this, this is my catwalk, this is my collection. I can’t believe it!”

    The fashion show in Shanghai took place on 4 September, but Hamilton still had another commitment before travelling to Singapore: New York Fashion Week, where he was scheduled to present his collection in the United States.

    “And then he flew from Shanghai to LA or New York, and did it there,” Wolff recalls. “Niki Lauda said to me back in the day, I cannot comprehend why you allow this. We are racing in Singapore next weekend, so how is this even possible?”

    The criticism grew when Hamilton’s journey to Singapore was delayed, leaving him due to arrive late for the first engineering meeting.

    Lewis Hamilton arrived late in Singapore after the fashion shows
    Hamilton arrived late in Singapore after the fashion shows, but Wolff defended his driver against criticism. Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

    “Lewis said that he needed to do another stopover in London or so, I don’t even remember. He calls me on Wednesday and says that it will be touch and go, arriving on Thursday for the first engineering meeting.

    “I replied, do me a favour, because I’m already getting lots of shit here for you doing a 360 around the world in funky clothes!

    “But then he called me again and said, I’m late, the flight has been delayed. So Niki says to me, I really can’t believe how you can allow that.”

    “Lewis, please don’t let me down this weekend”

    Hamilton’s performance in Singapore demonstrated both Wolff’s willingness to protect his drivers and the way Hamilton repaid that trust on the track.

    “When he arrived, I said, ‘Lewis, do me a favour. I’ll take it from you here, I’ll take all the criticism from everyone, but just don’t let me down this weekend.’

    “Understood, he said, and this is when he had this unbelievable pole position. There was that sensational lap and then he won the race, disappearing in the distance.

    Lewis Hamilton repaid Toto Wolff's trust in Singapore
    Hamilton repaid Wolff’s trust in Singapore and went on to clinch his fifth world title just over a month later. Photo by: Jerry Andre / Motorsport Images

    “After the race he came back to me and said, that was a good deal, no?”

    Wolff said Lauda eventually accepted Hamilton’s activities away from the circuit, provided they did not affect his performance during a race weekend.

    “Niki said to me afterwards, ‘I’m never going to criticise it anymore, even if he flies to the moon before a race!’”

    Hamilton took pole position in Singapore by more than three-tenths of a second over Verstappen and six-tenths over title rival Sebastian Vettel. The Mercedes driver won the race by almost nine seconds from Verstappen and secured his fifth world championship just over a month later in Mexico.

  • George Russell Also Set for F1 Engine Penalty, but Mercedes Has Yet to Decide When

    George Russell Also Set for F1 Engine Penalty, but Mercedes Has Yet to Decide When

    Mercedes is still deciding when George Russell will take an engine-change penalty during the remainder of the 2026 Formula 1 season, with the team preparing for him to face a similar sanction to Kimi Antonelli at the Italian Grand Prix.

    F1 championship leader Antonelli is expected to start from the back of the grid at his home race in Monza after taking a full power unit change. Reliability problems earlier in the season have pushed the Mercedes driver through his permitted allocation of engine components, while he also retired from the June Spanish Grand Prix after suffering a terminal power unit failure.

    Why Monza is suitable for Antonelli’s penalty

    Formula 1 teams usually try to schedule power unit changes and the resulting grid penalties at circuits where overtaking is relatively straightforward. Monza is considered a favourable venue because its layout is expected to provide several opportunities to recover positions.

    That is why Mercedes is confident it can limit the impact of Antonelli’s penalty at his home race.

    “We’ve regretted doing it in Monza previously because the degradation has been relatively low in recent years,” Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes trackside engineering director, said on the team’s Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show. “The cars had low drag, so they weren’t actually great for towing because they don’t sort of punch a particularly big hole in that configuration. And also the DRS effect was very small.

    “That was in the past. Now you’ve got a real energy-starved circuit and it becomes one where there are four overtaking zones. You definitely can’t defend at all of them. And if you are a faster car, we expect it to be relatively straightforward to make progress.

    “But saying that, how do we decide where to take them? The main point is based on where do you need the hardware.

    “We’ve lost some internal combustion engines at reasonably low mileage. So the biggest thing is a case of we need to take it by this point. And if that point is a race where you really don’t want to be fighting from the back, we’ll consider bringing it earlier.

    “There’s a bit of a sense that we’ve got a lead in both championships. Let’s do the painful stuff while we have a lead in both championships. Not, if that gets closer at the end, we don’t want to be adding, piling more and more pressure on ourselves.”

    Mercedes weighs Russell’s engine-change timing

    With Antonelli’s penalty already expected at Monza, Mercedes is turning its attention to Russell’s engine-change dilemma. The team would prefer to avoid both drivers starting from the back at the same race, if possible, so it is assessing circuits immediately after Italy where overtaking may be easier.

    “We’ve not yet quite nailed down where George will take his, but it’s there for both of them because both of them have [suffered engine failures],” Bradley Lord, Mercedes deputy team principal, said.

    “We saw the retirement for George in Canada, Kimi in Barcelona. And then George also had a stoppage in Hungary as well, right at the end of his qualifying lap there, it could have been a much more serious impact for us had that happened in the race.

    “We’ve got some stuff to manage through in order to get to the end of the season on the freshest and most performant hardware possible. And it is always a trade-off between where are you getting into a risky zone on sort of high-life or high-mileage components.

    “And what’s the risk of not scoring points from that versus the penalty of taking the grid penalty and having that deficit and then coming back hopefully through the field at the events where you need to do it, and which one statistically is likely to give you the best point scorer at the end.”

    Based on those considerations, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku is emerging as a likely option for Russell’s grid penalty because of its similarities to Monza. The new Madrid circuit remains an unknown, meaning Russell may need to complete the Italian and Spanish rounds before serving his penalty at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the end of September.

    Mercedes could also consider Sepang, which hosts the Malaysian Grand Prix, one week after Baku. The circuit is likewise expected to offer a high number of overtaking opportunities.

    Mercedes assessing power unit reliability risk

    The team must also decide how long it can delay Russell’s engine change without taking excessive risks with the mileage and wear on his existing power unit components.

    “There is a sort of probability of failure [to consider],” Shovlin added. “It’s never an absolutely known thing and that’s evolving race on race.

    “So with Mercedes and the customer teams, every race you put more miles on the power units, every race they’re checked and trying to understand whether previous containments for faults have actually solved a problem.

    “It could be that our optimism for taking a PU to the sixth or seventh race might be higher in a few races time than it is right now. Every race we’re rejigging plans just based on what we’ve learned and where we may have gained a bit more confidence.”

  • Guenther Steiner Says Mercedes Has Clarified George Russell’s Support Role

    Guenther Steiner Says Mercedes Has Clarified George Russell’s Support Role

    Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes Mercedes has told George Russell to support Kimi Antonelli’s 2026 championship campaign.

    Russell arrived at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix as the clear favourite for the 2026 drivers’ title. However, his Mercedes team-mate became the youngest driver to lead the standings after consecutive victories at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix.

    During the first half of the season, Russell won two Grands Prix while Antonelli claimed six victories. The Italian currently leads the championship with 242 points, while Russell sits second on 183 points, level with Lewis Hamilton.

    Mercedes team orders raise questions over Russell and Antonelli

    Russell was asked to let Antonelli past during the Dutch Grand Prix, reigniting questions about Mercedes’ internal dynamics. Team principal Toto Wolff said the instruction was not related to the championship.

    Russell briefly questioned the order over team radio before allowing his team-mate through. He finished third behind race winner Lando Norris and Antonelli, later telling the media that the decision was correct because Antonelli would probably have overtaken him anyway on fresher tyres.

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, George Russell, Mercedes

    Photo by: Simon Galloway / LAT Images via Getty Images

    Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner suggested that Mercedes must have held a clear discussion during the summer break to define its new rules of engagement. The team and its drivers have not confirmed that such a conversation took place.

    “I wouldn’t say they told him, ‘You’re the number two driver.’ They told him, ‘You are now here to support Kimi.’ I wouldn’t call him the number two driver, but, ‘If needed, you need to support Kimi to win the world championship. This is your mission for this season.’ No, I think that happened,” Steiner explained.

    Steiner argued that supporting Antonelli would be necessary if Mercedes wants to secure the drivers’ championship, warning that failing to establish clear priorities could leave the team vulnerable late in the season.

    “If you want to win, this is what you have to do. Otherwise, you take the risk as McLaren did last year, then get down to the last race to lose that world championship, not to win it, to lose it.”

  • George Russell Treats Mercedes Team Members to Special Silverstone Karting Event

    George Russell Treats Mercedes Team Members to Special Silverstone Karting Event

    George Russell celebrated Mercedes’ double podium at the Dutch Grand Prix by rewarding team members from the Brackley and Brixworth facilities with a private karting event at Silverstone Circuit.

    Mercedes confirmed the event on social media, posting on X: “Swapping the W17 for the kart. All smiles as George treated team members from both Brackley and Brixworth to a special karting experience at Silverstone.”

    Russell joins Mercedes staff for Silverstone karting day

    The event brought together employees from Mercedes’ main headquarters in Brackley and Mercedes High Performance Powertrains (HPP) in Brixworth.

    “We’re here at Silverstone doing a team karting day,” Russell told the camera. “A thousand people applied from Brackley and Brixworth, but we can only fit 170 people. Really looking forward to it, and I’m going to be racing with them.”

    After the staff had completed several laps, Russell put on his race suit and joined them on track. He also handed out medals to the participants at the end of the event.

    Fans responded positively to footage of Russell enjoying the day. One commenter on X wrote: “It’s so nice seeing George this happy. It makes you realise how different things could be with a bit more support. Obviously, I’m not talking about Marcus, Katsu, and the others; you know full well who the problem is…”

    Another fan added: “I really love how happy George looks for the entire day. He really loves this team.”

    Some comments took a more sarcastic tone, including: “Just give him the kart at Monza. Probably be more reliable” and “He finally gets a reliable car, no wonder he’s happy.”

    Mercedes leads 2026 constructors’ championship

    The karting event comes during a strong 2026 campaign for Mercedes. The team currently leads the constructors’ championship with 425 points, while Ferrari is second on 338 points.

    Russell sits second in the drivers’ championship, 59 points behind his team-mate Kimi Antonelli. He is level on points with Lewis Hamilton.

    The 13th round of the season will be held at Monza during the Italian Grand Prix weekend from 4-6 September.

    Source: www.motorsport.com

  • Mercedes puzzled by why it was “rubbish” through high-speed corners at Dutch GP

    Mercedes puzzled by why it was “rubbish” through high-speed corners at Dutch GP

    Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin described the team’s performance through Zandvoort’s high-speed corners as “rubbish” as Mercedes investigates its inconsistent pace during the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.

    Mercedes made a strong start to the Zandvoort weekend, with George Russell taking pole position and winning the sprint race. However, the team fell behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, who secured pole and victory in the Dutch Grand Prix.

    Mercedes still finished second and third in qualifying and the race. Kimi Antonelli finished ahead of team-mate Russell to extend his championship lead to 59 points, but Mercedes was unable to explain why its early pace failed to carry through the rest of the weekend against its main rival.

    “We’ve got a few things on the performance side to try and dig into,” Shovlin said on Mercedes’ Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show. “We’re going to be getting on with that this week and see what we learn.

    “But there were a few corners where we were pretty rubbish, like that combination of [Turns] 7, 8, 9. You could see [it in] the faster-speed [curves]. And it also gives the tyres on the left-hand side of the car a tough time. And we don’t really understand yet fully what’s causing that.

    “We’ve got some ideas, but that’s not a problem that we’ve suffered with so far this year. And there’s plenty of circuits that have got kind of continued corners in one direction.

    “We were a bit off the pace in the fastest of those [turns]. And then our problems kind of grew a bit as we went through. All the other corners look solid.”

    Mercedes struggled to explain differing tyre performance

    Mercedes’ confusion was compounded by the limited changes made to the cars between the sprint race and the grand prix, as well as during the race itself. Shovlin acknowledged that pace can vary depending on tyre compound and tyre life, but both drivers experienced problems at different stages of the race.

    “We didn’t change the car. We obviously had different compounds at different stages. But again, we need to understand a bit,” he said.

    “George’s first stint was a bit lacklustre compared to his later ones. And then with Kimi, first stint was good, and then dropped a bit on the second, dropped a bit more on the third, a bit came back on the third. It wasn’t like we were playing around with electronic settings or up and down on flap angles. And for him, the balance of the car was quite different stint on stint.

    “The two drivers, normally they report similar things with a car at the end of the race. Both of them, their perception of the balance, and probably the reality is George had a more understeery car, Kimi had a more oversteery car. If we look at how they were set up, we don’t yet know quite why we got such a big difference.

    “So, though, really good to have a strong point-scoring weekend when we weren’t at our best in terms of performance. It was actually good fun, sat on the pitwall and having to make decisions in a hurry. I think the whole team enjoyed that and rose to the occasion. And it was definitely a good result, given where we were.

    “But yeah, a bit of head-scratching to do over the next few days.”

    Mercedes records second-highest points haul of the season

    Despite its lack of clarity over the pace loss, Mercedes scored 46 points at Zandvoort, its second-highest team total of the season. Only its 55-point haul at the Chinese Grand Prix was higher, although both events were sprint weekends with more points available.

  • Kimi Antonelli Reveals Special Mercedes Gesture After Maiden F1 Victory

    Kimi Antonelli Reveals Special Mercedes Gesture After Maiden F1 Victory

    Kimi Antonelli Keeps Original Trophy From Maiden F1 Victory

    Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli has revealed that the team allowed him to keep the original trophy from his first Formula 1 victory.

    Speaking to GQ Magazine for a feature titled 10 Things F1 Driver Kimi Antonelli Can’t Live Without, the Italian showed the trophy he received on the podium after his breakthrough victory at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix.

    Mercedes Made an Exception for Antonelli’s First Win

    Formula 1 teams typically retain the original trophies won by their drivers, displaying them at the factory while giving the drivers high-quality replicas. However, Mercedes made an exception for Antonelli to commemorate his first career victory.

    “This is the trophy of my first victory in China, and this is a moment I’ll never forget,” Antonelli explained.

    “The first victory is always incredible. It has an enormous meaning, and it also marks my first win in the top division. This trophy is the original, the one I lifted on the podium.

    “Usually, the originals go to the teams, while we keep the replicas. However, since it was my first win, the team let me have it, especially since you only get one first time. This, obviously, was placed in my trophy case.

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes. Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

    Antonelli started the Chinese Grand Prix from pole position and said he recognised his opportunity to claim a strong result as the race approached its conclusion.

    “Starting from pole position, I knew I had a good chance of being able to get a good result. Obviously, I knew it would be very difficult, but when there were about fifteen laps to go, I knew I was close to the finish line and that I could do it.

    “It took a long time to realise in that moment what had happened. But it was a truly indescribable moment.”

    Antonelli Leads the 2026 F1 Drivers’ Championship

    Antonelli went on to secure five more Grand Prix victories during the first half of the 2026 Formula 1 season. He currently leads the drivers’ championship by 59 points over George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who are level on points.

  • Kimi Antonelli Causes Chaos on Amelia Dimoldenberg’s “Passenger Princess”

    Kimi Antonelli Causes Chaos on Amelia Dimoldenberg’s “Passenger Princess”

    Mercedes Formula 1 driver and championship leader Kimi Antonelli has appeared as a driving instructor in Amelia Dimoldenberg’s YouTube series, Passenger Princess.

    Produced in collaboration with F1 as part of the championship’s effort to attract a younger and more diverse audience, the second season sees current drivers teach the British presenter how to drive.

    Kimi Antonelli brings chaos to Passenger Princess

    Antonelli’s episode quickly descended into chaos when he rapidly steered from side to side to warm up the tyres. Dimoldenberg jokingly exclaimed, “Stop it. Stop, Kimi. This is not acceptable. I knew you were young, but I didn’t know you would be this immature.”

    The 20-year-old Mercedes driver then attempted doughnuts in an SUV. “Wait, can we just stop for a second because I feel really dizzy now,” Dimoldenberg said.

    “That was not a doughnut,” Antonelli admitted. “You would slide a lot more.”

    When the roles were reversed and Dimoldenberg took the wheel, Antonelli’s coaching skills were put to the test. The comedian was also asked to perform a doughnut, but the attempt came close to ending in the gravel.

    “So, this is actually my last lesson. So, actually I should at this point be pretty good at driving. Which is why I wanted to do the doughnuts because I feel like doughnuts is when you’re a pro, and you can just do what you want,” Dimoldenberg said before Antonelli gave her driving attempt a score of 5.5 out of 10.

    Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

    Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

    Antonelli discusses life away from Formula 1

    During the deadpan comedic exchanges, the Italian driver discussed what he eats on a cheat day, how he began go-karting at the age of five, his pre-race ritual and how he spends his time off.

    At the time of writing, the video had been viewed more than one million times and received over 31,000 likes.

    “Kimi HAS to be the first driver to ragebait Amelia,” one fan commented, while another added: “He got the sassiness of George and sarcasm of Max, truly their son.”

    Someone else posted: “It’s giving oldest sister youngest siblings vibe,” while another fan wrote: “Kimi’s sarcastic blinks are next level!”

  • Mercedes on Dutch GP team orders: We would’ve done the exact same thing the other way around

    Mercedes on Dutch GP team orders: We would’ve done the exact same thing the other way around

    Mercedes has reviewed its Dutch Grand Prix team orders and remains convinced that asking Kimi Antonelli to pass George Russell late in the Formula 1 race secured a double podium. The team also says it would have made the same decision if the drivers had been in the opposite positions.

    Why Mercedes swapped Antonelli and Russell

    Esteban Ocon triggered a virtual safety car on lap 55 at Zandvoort, with Antonelli running second and Russell fourth, separated by Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton. Both Ferraris pitted immediately, while Antonelli stopped one lap later. The strategy promoted Russell to second, ahead of the three cars that had pitted.

    Running on fresher soft tyres, Antonelli quickly closed on Russell and Mercedes instructed Russell to let his team-mate through. Although Russell initially questioned the call, he complied and spent the remainder of the race defending third place from both Ferraris.

    Antonelli could not catch race winner Lando Norris and finished second. Russell, helped by another late virtual safety car, held off the Ferraris to complete Mercedes’ double podium.

    After Mercedes’ post-race debrief on Monday, deputy team principal Bradley Lord explained why the team had reviewed the decision and remained satisfied with its reasoning.

    “It seemed good, to be honest,” Lord said on Mercedes’ Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show. “One of the funny consequences of that early red flag was actually we were all sort of hot-footing out of Zandvoort and we actually only had the debrief on Monday after the race rather than Sunday in the immediate aftermath, because things were delayed and then everyone was heading out and both the drivers were in the press conference and have all of their stuff to complete as well.

    “George quite naturally asked the question, just stress-tested it when he first got the communication. But then understood that bigger picture that with Kimi we’d taken the chance of a free stop behind the VSC.

    “If George had made the same stop, he’d have dropped behind one of the Ferraris and given up that podium position regardless. And then really it comes back to what have you talked about beforehand and how clear is how the team’s going to operate. 

    “And we’d been really clear in that Sunday morning strategy meeting that it is too close for us to be able to lose any time at all with our two drivers fighting each other and costing each other time.

    “So that had set the basis then for the decision. And I think it’s fair to say that had that been the other way around, we’d have done exactly the same thing in order to give ourselves the best chance of the P2 finish and to give the car in third, again, the clear air and the best chance of holding position as well.”

    Mercedes rejected tow strategy for Russell

    Mercedes also considered giving Russell a tow and Overtake Mode, which serves a similar purpose to the previous-generation DRS system. However, the team decided against the tactic because the expected benefit was small and the risk of it backfiring was significant.

    “We had the conversation and there was a bit of a debate,” Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes trackside engineering director, explained. “In the end, we decided that it’s not a massive gain in terms of lap time there.

    “It’s two tenths. And it’s fair to say that those two tenths is on the straight. So that’s probably the place that you’re going to be vulnerable. 

    “There was also some concern of just the cars getting tangled up if we’re trying to do something clever that we’ve not rehearsed. But given that it isn’t an enormous chunk of lap time and speed at that circuit, we felt actually it would be better to give George the clear air [and] Kimi just gets out the way. 

    “That’s probably George’s best chance of getting a good exit and a good braking, because ultimately you can’t follow with these cars at two tenths. So the way that a Ferrari would have got past him would have been if it made a lot of ground coming out of the final corner or went very, very deep on the brakes.”

    Shovlin praises Russell’s defence

    Shovlin praised Russell for defending through the closing laps to secure Mercedes’ double podium. The result also moved Russell to second in the drivers’ championship, level on points with Hamilton but ahead on wins countback.

    “It’s honestly a really impressive effort by George. You wouldn’t have given him maybe even 50-50 odds of holding both of them back. There’s a good chance that one of them was going to get through,” Shovlin said.

    “Maybe we’re a bit lucky with that VSC that just took the heat out of it for a lap or two and he was able to manage his energy levels.”

  • Mercedes ‘have got a problem’ if McLaren’s form continues, says Alex Brundle

    Mercedes ‘have got a problem’ if McLaren’s form continues, says Alex Brundle

    McLaren’s Monza Form Could Give Mercedes “a problem on their hands”, Warns Alex Brundle

    Alex Brundle has warned that Mercedes could face a major threat if McLaren carries its race-winning Dutch Grand Prix pace into Monza and the remaining races of the 2026 Formula 1 season.

    Lando Norris claimed his second consecutive victory of the season at Zandvoort. Benefiting from McLaren’s latest car upgrades, the 2025 champion navigated a chaotic race to beat Mercedes drivers Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.

    Norris extended his championship lead by finishing 11.5 seconds ahead of Antonelli, but Brundle believes the characteristics of the upcoming circuits will determine whether McLaren’s performance improvement represents a sustained challenge to Mercedes.

    “You’ve got to say, though, we’re coming off a pair of circuits that are less energetically starved in the way that we saw Mercedes dominate at Silverstone and be really strong at Spa,” Brundle told F1 TV.

    “There are going to be those circuits coming, and that effect hasn’t gone away. It’s going to be interesting to see how this McLaren form, for example, rolls on into Monza. If it’s the same there, then I think Mercedes have got a problem on their hands.”

    Palmer backs Mercedes to respond with Baku upgrade

    Former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer does not believe Mercedes will be overly concerned by Norris’s late title challenge, with the team reportedly expecting a significant upgrade package for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

    “Inevitably, the field was going to close up from Melbourne, and it has done with Ferrari, with McLaren, with Red Bull as well bringing upgrades,” Palmer explained.

    “Mercedes hit back, didn’t they, in Canada where they moved again further away from the field. That was their only real big hit of upgrades. So, I’m hearing Baku is going to be their big chance.

    “Obviously, Monza is such an outlier of a circuit that might suit them. Then we go to Madrid, which is a complete unknown for everybody. So, Baku is the one that they’ve targeted.

    “I don’t think they’re going to be losing sleep over Lando right now. He seems like he’s too far away. And when you look at Kimi still putting in the performances very consistently, I would say it’s such a long shot for Norris.

    “But for me, I think you could argue he’s the driver of the season. He’s put in so many top, top drives and now he has the car that he didn’t have earlier on, and he’s just smashing out the wins.”

    Source: www.motorsport.com