The rivals of Mercedes were surprised by the speed displayed by the Silver Arrows

In Spain, at the Barcelona circuit, one of the surprises came from Mercedes. The Silver Arrows delivered a very impressive performance, securing a double podium with George Russell finishing third and Lewis Hamilton in second place. The Brackley team proved to be the most dominant and fastest behind the Red Bulls.

George Russell’s will respected

Before the race weekend, George Russell declared that Mercedes, with the updates made a few weeks earlier, would surpass Ferrari and return to the level of Aston Martin. In the end, it’s much better than that. Mercedes’ rivals are the first ones surprised by the pace displayed by the Silver Arrows, which have now become the second force on the grid.

“They had a real rocket,” said Lance Stroll, Aston Martin driver. “I don’t know where they found that pace. I thought we would be the most dominant car behind the Red Bulls,” the Canadian continued.

The second place in the championship

On this Spanish weekend, Mercedes gained an advantage over its direct competitors, Ferrari and Aston Martin. The Silver Arrows secured second place in the constructor’s championship and made up ground in the driver’s standings.

Carlos Sainz is also surprised by the pace shown by the Mercedes this weekend. The Spanish driver expected better from his car and did not anticipate such dominance from Mercedes. Mercedes has become the second strongest team on the grid, by a wide margin. It is surprising that they are so close to Red Bull, confessed the Spaniard.

Yet no worries

For team managers as well, Mercedes’ performances have surprised. Mike Krack, from Aston Martin, was surprised by the results and the pace of the Silver Arrows.

“If we had started in second place, we would still have finished behind the Mercedes. It would have been difficult to keep them behind during the first stint. I think we were six to seven tenths slower. We must understand why,” testified the Aston Martin team manager.

But panic is not the main feeling among Mercedes’ competitors. Each team will continue its development in the right direction, without taking into account the performances of their rivals.

« It is too early to draw a real conclusion. We haven’t seen everything yet. We need two or three races before we can draw any initial conclusions, just like at the beginning of the season. Maybe they have made a big improvement, earlier than us. But the initial analysis doesn’t reflect that, continued Mike Krack.