Despite the upgraded package brought by Mercedes in Belgium, the Silver Arrows failed to make a significant mark on board during the Friday free practice sessions. Reacting to it, Lewis Hamilton wished for rain so that the deficit his team faced could be minimized in Spa-Francochamps.
“It started well but then when I put the soft tire on I couldn’t improve,” said Hamilton as per Formu1a. Hamilton claimed that the W15’s balance wasn’t a problem but he could see his rivals gaining better time than him.
Oscar Piastri was over a second faster than the 104-time Grand Prix winner. “I think if it rained, it would be fantastic. I think we could do a better job. The car should be better in the wet than in dry conditions like today.”
Even in FP3, Mercedes didn’t have much to show. Hamilton only managed to finish P9. Meanwhile, Russell, who made a stint on inters, finished P19.
A wet start to Saturday in Spa with very limited running in FP3 ☔
Lewis finishes P9 while George didn’t complete a timed lap and ends the session P19.
Quali up next ➡ pic.twitter.com/ShdfaruWcR
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 27, 2024
However, the session was disrupted due to Lance Stroll’s crash and heavy rain. Since Mercedes is expecting a better weekend moving forward, they have made a few last-minute calls.
Mercedes removes upgraded floor
Tobi Gruner from Auto Motor und Sport revealed that Mercedes removed all the upgraded parts from W15 that they brought for the Spa circuit after their Friday runs. However, later it was known that Mercedes had resorted to their previous floor configuration.
This move is a minor setback for Mercedes as they had planned for an aggressive upgrade plan over the rest of the season to nullify McLaren’s pace advantage. But that part of the plan remains unfulfilled. On the contrary, George Russell admits McLaren is a step ahead without optimizing their car’s strengths.
“I think McLaren hasn’t used its maximum power yet, which gives you a couple of tenths on this track,” said Russell. With Max Verstappen taking a 10-place grid penalty, Mercedes would be eyeing to maximize their chances to settle for a podium finish or even a win with only McLaren as a legitimate challenge.
