Discreet but efficient \u2014 that’s how the start of the season can be summed up for the Silver Arrows. While all eyes are on McLaren, both Mercedes drivers have delivered solid performances, with George Russell scoring two podiums in the main races. These encouraging results give the German team reason for optimism moving forward. Trackside engineer Andrew Shovlin has already confirmed that updates are planned for the upcoming races. The goal is clear: catch up with McLaren at the front.<\/p>\n
\u00ab We’re working hard to develop the car because we know we need to close the gap, especially with McLaren. \u00bb The British engineer added that the Woking-based team is currently the one to beat, having claimed victory in the first two Grand Prix \u2014 in Australia and last week in Shanghai. \u00ab Our car works well across different circuits, but we know we still need to find more pace, particularly to keep up with McLaren. \u00bb<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, team principal Toto Wolff believes Mercedes is \u00ab not far \u00bb behind McLaren (Russell finished just 11 seconds behind winner Oscar Piastri). The Austrian also stated that the first two Grand Prix have shown Mercedes has the second-best car on the grid, ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull in terms of pace.<\/p>\n
\u00ab What we’ve also seen, however, is that McLaren is probably the team to beat. Max [Verstappen] is very fast. Ferrari doesn’t seem far behind and has had some bad luck in recent races. So it’s a tight battle at the front. \u00bb<\/p>\n
The fight behind McLaren remains open, and every point scored and upgrade brought will be crucial to avoid falling behind. Formula 1 is now gearing up for the season’s first triple-header, starting with the Japanese Grand Prix later this week.<\/p>\n
\u00ab But we’ve got three very exciting tracks coming up. Suzuka is a fantastic circuit \u2014 very flowing, very fast. Many drivers consider it their favorite on the calendar. Then we head to Bahrain. We know Bahrain well because of testing. It’s a circuit with its own challenges, but we hope to at least be in the fight for podiums. And finally, Saudi Arabia. It’s a street circuit, fairly smooth, with relatively fresh tarmac, which brings its own challenges. So three very different circuits ahead. \u00bb<\/p>\n
According to Andrew Shovlin, it will only be after this run of three races that the true team hierarchy will begin to emerge. \u00ab After these first five races, we’ll probably have a better idea of the real pecking order. \u00bb The German team remains confident in its capabilities and has a competitive car that the drivers enjoy driving.<\/p>\n
\u00ab But as I said, it’s exciting to start a season with a car that performs well and that the drivers enjoy driving. \u00bb That’s a crucial asset for Mercedes to move forward more confidently this year, especially while their rivals face greater struggles (Ferrari’s double disqualification in China, driver changes at Red Bull).<\/p>\n
And what if Mercedes became McLaren’s main rival this season? It’s still too early to say \u2014 but one thing is certain: the Silver Arrows will be a force to reckon with in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Second in the constructors’ championship and third in the drivers’ classification, the German team is aiming to regain top spot. To this end, it has already planned several improvements to catch up with McLaren.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":45615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,1749],"tags":[18,964],"class_list":["post-31299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-f1","category-news","tag-18","tag-mercedes-amg-f1"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n