Staff Writer
Mercedes gained confidence after the Spanish Grand Prix of Formula One by making substantial advancements and finishing ahead of Aston Martin and Ferrari.
While Lewis Hamilton finished second and teammate George Russell third to give Mercedes its first double podium result of the season, Max Verstappen of Red Bull put on another spectacular effort to win Sunday’s race from pole position.
Although Mercedes recognized that the distance to Red Bull remained wide, there was optimism after the team’s eagerly awaited improvement package shown that it may be able to keep the team ahead of Aston Martin and Ferrari.
After the race was postponed due to flooding in Italy, the modifications could not be unveiled at Imola. The modifications were done to the vehicles in Monaco, but the street track wasn’t the best place to demonstrate their full capabilities.
This outcome is clearly what we were aiming for, Hamilton said. “This is wonderful, and it’s because of all the excellent work being done by the factory workers who are working diligently behind the scenes. I sincerely hope that everyone at the factory is feeling quite proud.
Mercedes passed Aston Martin for second place in the constructors’ championship because to Russell’s and Hamilton’s podium finishes, while Ferrari remained in fourth.
Hamilton remarked, “George did a really excellent job, so we delivered good points overall. “We just need to keep trying to do this. It was incredibly big for us to outrun the Ferraris and the Astons in terms of speed.
At the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit, Hamilton finished second after starting fifth on the grid. Russell advanced from position 12 to the podium.
Russell, who is fifth in the drivers’ standings, only behind Hamilton, said that the outcome “highlights all the hard work and efforts that have gone on at the factory to bring these upgrades.” The upcoming races will be crucial to see if we can consistently achieve results like this and decrease the gap to Red Bull after a solid performance here last year.
Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, praised the team for placing on the podium but insisted they needed to remain “realistic.”
We are an excellent squad at pushing through, he claimed. “Once a direction is evident, we just go with it. But let’s be realistic in our expectations. Red Bull is still well ahead of us, but it’s encouraging to see.
With Fernando Alonso, the veteran two-time champion who is third in the drivers’ standings, finishing in seventh place, Aston Martin suffered one of its poorest races of the season. Lance Stroll, a teammate, came in sixth.
Carlos Sainz Jr. finished fifth and teammate Charles Leclerc 11th, both of whom were outside the top 10 and out of the points, while Ferrari likewise battled and appeared to regress from earlier races.
Hamilton argued that overall, “I think we had better pace than them.” “As a team, we generally performed better, made fewer mistakes, and completed the sessions,” the team said.
The Canadian Grand Prix, where Hamilton finished third last year behind Sainz Jr. and Verstappen, will be Mercedes’ next opportunity to showcase its advancements and determine where it truly stands in two weeks. Hamilton hasn’t won a race since the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix in 2021.
“Our understanding of the car is expanding. Hamilton remarked, “I’m hoping the vehicle stays as good as it was this weekend. “I’m hopeful that moving forward, everything will go well. There will undoubtedly be certain tracks where the car won’t quite fit in the window, but hopefully the upcoming races will work for us.”
