Mercedes driver George Russell,63, during the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome on May 4, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Florida, USA. Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports is Required Credit
At the Dutch Grand Prix, Mercedes will be reinstating a major floor change to their W15 car, which was removed because to problems with the original modification. The updated part was tested for the first time on Friday during practice at Spa-Francorchamps as part of a package meant to close the gap with leaders like Red Bull and McLaren.
On launch, the update encountered unforeseen difficulties, though. For the duration of their Spa campaign, Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s team had to go back to their prior configuration due to performance problems. This choice was made in order to preserve consistency, collect additional data, and maximize safety over the weekend. This portion of the race went well; the seven-time champion won, but Russell lost because his car was too heavy.
Team Principal Toto Wolff clarified that rather than being a result of the new floor itself, the problems were probably caused by setup. In a conversation, he mentioned:
“I think we made a drastic change in order to recover some of the performance, but we believe it wasn’t the floor.”
“When we put everything on the car in Zandvoort, correlate, and watch what happens, it will be really intriguing. Then, we’ll know for sure if the mechanical component is the problem or if some aerodynamic and mechanical interactions weren’t successful.”
Having won three of the last four Grands Prix, Mercedes has demonstrated a comeback despite the teething issues with the new parts. Still, Wolff is cautiously enthusiastic about the inconsistent results along the grid.
“We should, in my opinion, keep both feet firmly planted. You can notice a pattern in our performance fluctuations that is unquestionably favorable. You notice a downward tendency with some other teams. However, I don’t think it’s appropriate to predict how the second part of the season will play out. There are four teams that are giving it their all in what I believe to be a very challenging match. We can be cautiously optimistic, in my opinion. However, we must demonstrate it. There are still ten races left,” he said.
The current Formula 1 season promises to be a tight and fierce battle between the top teams. Interviews for the Dutch Grand Prix race weekend will take place on Thursday, August 22, and the event itself will take place on Sunday, August 25.