Mercedes is showing optimism regarding the rest of the season after a substantial upgrade to their W14 facilitated a dual podium finish for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in the recent Spanish Grand Prix. This development follows an early-season struggle for the German manufacturer, who quickly discovered that their ‘zeropod’ concept wouldn’t yield the desired performance against Red Bull, leading to a design overhaul.
Despite Mercedes’ significant progress in Barcelona, Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, has suggested that the success of their competitors needs to be considered in context.
Horner posits that the sweeping changes made by Mercedes have likely consumed a substantial part of their development budget, leaving limited funds for further improvements during the remainder of the season. He also draws attention to Hamilton finishing 24 seconds behind Max Verstappen in Spain, a result comparable to Fernando Alonso finishing 26 seconds behind runner-up Sergio Perez in Bahrain. He therefore implies that the gap to Red Bull is not significantly decreasing.
When questioned by F1 Flow.com about the actual progress Mercedes had achieved, Horner acknowledged the step they’ve taken. “Undoubtedly, they’ve made progress. However, introducing almost a B-spec car must have taken a huge chunk out of their development budget,” Horner said. He continued, “And as I see it, the race-end gap is pretty much what it was in Bahrain. The real change we’re seeing is the shifting standings behind us from race to race. It’ll be interesting to observe this trend in the upcoming races.”
Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / F1 Flow Images
Horner further praised his team for managing to maintain their F1 lead despite having made only minor tweaks to their RB19 vehicle. “The team’s doing an exceptional job with great efficiency,” he stated. “You can see we’ve made subtle adjustments to the car since Bahrain, while other teams have introduced significant upgrades. Yet, the gap has remained pretty much unchanged since Bahrain, which is a huge morale booster for everyone at Milton Keynes who are currently doing an exceptional job.”
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Mercedes F1 Upgrade
What significant progress has Mercedes made in the F1 season?
Mercedes introduced a substantial upgrade to their W14 which facilitated a dual podium finish for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix. This progress came after an early-season struggle when their ‘zeropod’ concept didn’t yield the desired performance, leading to a design change.
What are Christian Horner’s views on Mercedes’ progress?
Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal, acknowledges Mercedes’ progress but suggests it needs to be seen in context. He believes Mercedes’ upgrades have likely consumed a significant part of their development budget, which could limit further improvements. Horner also draws attention to the stable gap in performance between Red Bull and Mercedes, suggesting it hasn’t significantly decreased.
How has Red Bull maintained its lead in F1 despite Mercedes’ upgrade?
According to Christian Horner, Red Bull has managed to maintain their lead in F1 by making minor yet efficient tweaks to their RB19 vehicle. While other teams, like Mercedes, have introduced significant upgrades, Red Bull’s performance gap has remained largely consistent, indicating the effectiveness of their strategy.
What’s the morale like in the Red Bull team at the moment?
According to Christian Horner, the morale within the Red Bull team is high. The fact that they’ve been able to maintain a consistent performance gap despite other teams introducing significant upgrades has been a major morale booster for everyone in the team, particularly those based at Milton Keynes.
More about Mercedes F1 Upgrade
- Mercedes F1 team
- Red Bull Racing
- F1 Flow
- Spanish Grand Prix
- Christian Horner Profile
- Information about F1 car upgrades
5 comments
im impressed with how Horner manages his team, always calm n composed… RB19’s minor tweaks are doing wonders, way to go Red Bull!
Man, these F1 games never cease to amaze! mercedes pushing hard with that upgrade but Redbull just too tough to beat. whats next?
Hamilton and Russel showed some solid performance after the upgrade though. I’m hopeful for a good fight this season. let’s not write Mercedes off yet, folks!
I’m betting on Red Bull maintaining their lead… they’ve always been good at optimising and not just throwing money at the problem, ya know.
Well I gotta say, Horner’s got a point. Mercedes might’ve shot themselves in the foot using so much budget. long season ahead, every penny counts!