Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin rated the group’s tempo by Zandvoort’s high-speed corners as “garbage” and is on the lookout for solutions on its inconsistency between each stints and drivers within the System 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
After a powerful begin to the Zandvoort weekend, with George Russell taking pole and victory within the dash race, Mercedes dropped behind McLaren’s Lando Norris, who secured pole and victory within the grand prix.
Whereas Mercedes nonetheless took 2-3 in qualifying and the race, with Kimi Antonelli getting the higher of team-mate Russell within the race to increase his championship result in 59 factors, the group was at a loss on why its early tempo didn’t carry by the weekend relative to its most important competitors.
“We have got a number of issues on the efficiency aspect to attempt to dig into,” Shovlin mentioned on Mercedes’ Nu Silver Arrows Radio Present. “We will be getting on with that this week and see what we be taught.
“However there have been a number of corners the place we have been fairly garbage, like that mixture of [Turns] 7, 8, 9. You possibly can see [it in] the faster-speed [curves]. And it additionally provides the tyres on the left-hand aspect of the automobile a tricky time. And we do not actually perceive but absolutely what’s inflicting that.
“We have got some concepts, however that is not an issue that we have suffered with to date this yr. And there is loads of circuits that have gotten form of continued corners in a single course.
“We have been a bit off the tempo within the quickest of these [turns]. After which our issues form of grew a bit as we went by. All the opposite corners look strong.”
James Allison, Mercedes, Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes
Photograph by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Photographs by way of Getty Photographs
What added to Mercedes’ confusion was that minimal adjustments have been made to the vehicles between the dash race and grand prix, in addition to through the race itself. Whereas Shovlin accepts a stage of anticipated tempo deviation per tyre compounds and life, seeing every driver undergo at completely different occasions through the grand prix left Mercedes unsure concerning the trigger.
“We did not change the automobile. We clearly had completely different compounds at completely different phases. However once more, we have to perceive a bit,” he mentioned.
“George’s first stint was a bit lacklustre in comparison with his later ones. After which with Kimi, first stint was good, after which dropped a bit on the second, dropped a bit extra on the third, a bit got here again on the third. It wasn’t like we have been enjoying round with digital settings or up and down on flap angles. And for him, the steadiness of the automobile was fairly completely different stint on stint.
“The 2 drivers, usually they report comparable issues with a automobile on the finish of the race. Each of them, their notion of the steadiness, and doubtless the truth is George had a extra understeery automobile, Kimi had a extra oversteery automobile. If we have a look at how they have been arrange, we do not but know fairly why we obtained such a giant distinction.
“So, although, actually good to have a powerful point-scoring weekend after we weren’t at our greatest by way of efficiency. It was really good enjoyable, sat on the pitwall and having to make choices in a rush. I feel the entire group loved that and rose to the event. And it was undoubtedly an excellent consequence, given the place we have been.
“However yeah, a little bit of head-scratching to do over the following few days.”
As Shovlin identified, Mercedes nonetheless picked up its second-highest factors rating as a group this season – 46 factors, solely behind the 55 factors it notched up on the Chinese language GP – granted each have been dash race weekends with extra factors on provide.
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