Despite Mercedes’ emphatic performance in the recently concluded Spanish Grand Prix, questions were asked if the Brackley team could achieve that all by themselves and not because of subpar performances by Ferrari and Aston Martin. Denying all the claims, the star driver Lewis Hamilton stood by his team and believed in his team’s efforts.
Mercedes was phenomenal with their performance in Barcelona, as Hamilton and Russell managed to bring a double podium for the Silver Arrows despite starting from a relatively lower position.
Furthermore, Russell managed to keep the Red Bull of Sergio Perez behind as he started the race from P12, a place behind the Mexican race driver. Ultimately, the 25-year-old managed to keep the Mexican at bay in P4 while he finished in P3.
On the other hand, the Brackley-based team and their superior strategy fend off the challenges put by AMR23s of Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, who had better-starting positions in P5 and P8, respectively.
Furthermore, Mercedes also managed to keep the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz behind. Overall, the Silver Arrows scored in every department to have a successful Spanish Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton wants all credit for his team
When asked by BBC in their recently surfaced Chequered Flag podcast whether his team’s double podium can be credited to Ferrari and Aston Martin’s misfortune, Hamilton backed his team and said, “That’s not the way I look at it. I like to look at the glass half full.”
⚪️✨ pic.twitter.com/SFcBYs0l5A
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 4, 2023
“So, I think we generally had a better pace than them. I think collectively as a team we generally just did a better job, and we delivered throughout the sessions,” concluded the seven-time world champion.
However, it’s important to mention that despite the advancement, the W14s still have some catch-up to do. Hamilton, who finished the race in P2, crossed the finish line 24 seconds behind race winner Max Verstappen.
Mercedes and their W-14 development
As Red Bull’s RB-19 is still the car to beat with superior straight-line speed, better cornering, and monstrous DRS, can Mercedes cope with them with the advancements they are making at Brixworth?
Admittedly, the Silver Arrows have been ramping up their development works at their headquarters. With the recent progress on their new sidepod concept after dumping their zero sidepod design, things are believed to be on the right trajectory.
All in all, the Mercedes W14s are showing signs of improvement. It’ll be interesting to see how the car, Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell fare against the mighty RB-19s and Max Verstappen.
