Mercedes technical director James Allison stated the team was “stung” by their poor points results and reliability issues over Formula 1`s recent triple-header of races.
Mercedes, also known as the Silver Arrows, only managed to collect 18 points from the last three European events in Italy, Monaco, and Spain. This tally is significantly lower than their main competitors McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull, and even trails the sixth-placed Racing Bulls by two points.
As a result, they dropped to third place in the Constructors` Championship, surpassed by Ferrari for the first time this season.
The team also faced uncharacteristic reliability failures with their cars.
Kimi Antonelli`s race in Imola ended with a throttle damper problem, and a power unit failure forced his retirement in Spain. George Russell`s Monaco weekend was compromised by a wiring loom issue during qualifying, leaving him starting 14th on a grid where position is crucial.
Looking ahead to the Canadian Grand Prix this weekend, Allison mentioned that the team`s mood during the short break between races was “a little reflective.”
“I suppose, based on Barcelona, there were aspects of how we approached the weekend and the car`s performance in very hot track conditions that offer some optimism for the future,” Allison commented in Mercedes` recent race review video.
“However, we are all quite bothered by the retirements (DNFs) and having gone through a triple-header where our points scoring rate was nowhere near what it was in the season`s initial races.”
“So, hopefully, things look good moving forward, but I certainly wouldn`t want to repeat those three races in the same way.”
Reflecting further on the recent three races, Allison drew a comparison to his favorite childhood book, The World According to Garp.
He explained: “In that book, the main character, Garp, bought his first house specifically because a small plane had crashed into it. He saw the house as `pre-disastered,` believing nothing bad could happen to it thereafter.”
“So, you could view these triple-headers similarly; we`ve certainly been `pre-disastered` with unexpected retirements from components that are well-established and wouldn`t typically fail like that.”
“With a bit of luck, we`ll have better fortune moving forward.”
“More seriously though, I think the key takeaway from these three races is that we got the car setup quite wrong for the first two.”
“We demanded too much from the rear axle, which caused significant problems. We approached Barcelona with a different approach, and on a track that would typically destroy tyres if we pushed like in Imola and Monaco, we performed closer to our potential.”
“So, looking ahead and knowing we can continue this approach and leverage it further in upcoming races, I see that as a positive.”
Given this recent performance trend, Allison expressed optimism that returning to Montreal`s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve might be timely for the team.
Last year in Montreal, Russell secured pole position and finished third after competing for the win in a chaotic, rain-affected race. Furthermore, Mercedes has consistently placed at least one car on the front two rows of the grid in their last 11 visits to this circuit.
When asked if potentially cooler temperatures in Montreal could benefit them, Allison replied: “Well, that might work in our favour, naturally, if it`s cooler.”
“But I believe what`s more significant than the exact temperature is the unique challenge Montreal presents. It`s a circuit demanding heavy braking and where achieving the optimal temperature balance between the front and rear axles is comparatively harder.”
“It`s also a track where we`ve historically performed quite well. So I`m anticipating it. We`re bringing a couple of new components, and we`ll see how things turn out.”
Antonelli Knows He Needs to Improve
The triple-header was especially disappointing for the 18-year-old rookie Antonelli, who failed to score any points.
Although technical failures on his car ruined two races while he was running in the top 10, Antonelli wasn`t a contender in Monaco after a crash during the first qualifying session (Q1).
Allison commented: “Kimi is young and possesses youthful optimism, but I`m fully aware that our recent failures have affected Kimi significantly.”
“Experiencing two retirements in just three races – one due to a chassis issue and one a power unit problem – is a very difficult situation to accept.”
“Putting that aside, Kimi himself knows he has more performance to unlock.”
“However, amidst this, there`s been valuable positive work and excellent experience gained, especially from driving on a highly dynamic track like Barcelona, managing soft tyres with track temperatures nearing 50 degrees.”
“This is rapidly building his experience, and he handled the situation quite well.”
