The Mercedes team has initiated an investigation to determine the source of the straight-line speed problems experienced by George Russell during qualifying for the British GP.
Russell achieved a qualifying time nearly four tenths slower than his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, with a significant loss of speed on the famous Hangar Straight, where Antonelli was nearly 6 km/h faster. Although both drivers employed similar techniques for energy collection in the Maggotts-Becketts section, the telemetry did not reveal any obvious differences in these areas.
The team principal, Toto Wolff, pointed out that it is essential to understand the reason behind this deficit, which was also noticeable during the sprint qualifying, albeit to a lesser extent. In the race, this difference was reduced to about 3-4 km/h.
After the race, Wolff explained that his analysis of the engine performance did not show any abnormalities, suggesting that the cause could be some unknown mechanical issue, such as a slipstream effect or another similar situation. ‘He had a straight-line issue all weekend. We couldn’t see anything in the engine power and definitely need to understand this situation better,’ added Wolff.
In his post-qualifying statements, Russell expressed his frustration with the speed loss, comparing his performance with the other Mercedes vehicles. ‘We’ve been struggling all weekend with straight-line speed. I don’t know why we’re still 6 km/h slower in the last sector and 3 km/h in the middle.’
Despite achieving a second position in the race, overcoming a setback due to a puncture, Russell acknowledged that his own performance also requires improvement if he wants to contend for the championship victory. ‘I need to understand this car better. I’m grateful to be on the podium, but I’m not as satisfied as I was in Canada when I finished from first place.’
With the upcoming Belgian GP on the horizon, Russell is 25 points behind Antonelli, and his focus is clear: ‘I need to be better, we need to maximize everything.’
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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