Mercedes produced a much-improved performance at the Spanish GP last weekend as they grabbed their first double podium of the 2023 season. Lewis Hamilton finished the race P2 while his teammate, George Russell, finished followed him in P3.
Since Mercedes was the closest team to reigning champions Red Bull, many believe that the Silver Arrows have closed the gap to them. However, Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin’s recent remarks may suggest otherwise.
Shovlin believes that unlike Spain, Mercedes are likely to struggle more in next weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. The 49-year-old believes that the Silver Arrows will have a tight battle with the likes of Aston Martin, Ferrari and now Alpine for the podium places.
“Canada is likely to be a bigger challenge“: Shovlin
While speaking about what kind of performance Mercedes expects at the upcoming Canadian GP, Andrew Shovlin told the team’s official YouTube channel, “We are thinking it will be more along the lines of some of the earlier races, where we are definitely in the bunch with Ferrari, with Aston. Now Alpine look to have joined that group“.
Shovlin then explained, that the grid this year has been extremely close. According to him, if any driver is just a few tenths off someone who has registered the second fastest lap, then they could still be as far behind as P10. It is this reason why the 49-year-old believes that the races in 2023 have been very close and exciting.
The British engineer then went on to conclude his remarks by explaining the contrasting level of performance the team expects to have in Montreal as compared to Barcelona last weekend. “We are aware that Canada is likely to be a bigger challenge than the Sunday we just had in Barcelona,” he explained.
Lewis Hamilton may need to wait longer to launch a fight for the championship
Since Mercedes has far behind Red Bull in terms of pace this season, Lewis Hamilton may need to wait longer before he can challenge for the championship. The Briton has been on a hunt to win a record eighth championship ever since he won his seventh back in 2020.
While Hamilton did come agonizingly close to winning it in 2021, he and Mercedes have been way off the pace in the last and current season. As things stand in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship, Hamilton is fourth with 87 points.
He is 12 points behind third-placed Fernando Alonso and a whopping 83 points behind championship leader Max Verstappen. A similar scenario is also seen in the Constructors’ Championship where Mercedes is currently 135 points behind leaders Red Bull.
