Within the growth of its W16 for 2025, has invariably retained one in all its key weaknesses from final season – poor thermal administration, notably on the rear axle.
Though that is really useful in colder races, as demonstrated by its dominance of 2024’s Las Vegas race, Mercedes is inclined to overheating its tyres amid increased temperatures.
Commercial
Each Mercedes drivers tried lengthy runs in FP2 on the delicate tyre in an effort to work out a set-up to maintain the tyres away from the realms of thermal degradation on Sunday – Russell did an 18-lap stint, a 16-lap stint.
Russell felt that his outcomes up to now at Barcelona alluded to the concept Sunday’s race might be troublesome, because the group had met its anticipated qualifying efficiency, with Russell taking fourth and team-mate Antonelli in sixth.
Nevertheless, provided that the race is on the C1-2-3 suite of Pirelli tyres, the Briton was pinning his hopes on the concept the toughest tyre would endure much less drop-off underneath overheating versus the softer grades of rubber.
“We all know that on a Saturday our automobile is wherever between P2 and P5, that is the place it has been all season,” Russell stated.
Commercial
“And once more as we speak, so it is good we managed to get to Q3 solely on two units of tyres, so I’ve received a brand new delicate tyre tomorrow which is a legitimate race tyre, in order that’s a constructive. However we’re practical, we all know that the automobile is not fast on Sundays.
George Russell, Mercedes
George Russell, MercedesSam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
“We additionally made lots of modifications to the automobile this weekend to try to enhance the race tempo, so to see that we’ve not actually hindered the qualifying tempo is a constructive. However then additionally it could imply it isn’t going to enhance the race tempo. [The race] goes to be an fascinating one for us.
Commercial
“We struggled so much when it was the delicate compound of tyres when it was scorching, however when it was the arduous compound of tyres in Bahrain and it was scorching, we clearly completed second there.
“So it is when the tyres overheat, for example if the tyres overheat by 10 levels on a C4, it is far more punishing than 10 levels on a C1 tyre. In order that’s kind of the one slight silver lining to provide us a little bit of hope for tomorrow.”
Antonelli concurred, though he drew consideration to the long-run information that Mercedes had accrued over the Friday follow classes.
Learn Additionally:
Commercial
The Italian felt that Mercedes’ return to its normal Saturday kind after a bruising pair of races at Imola and Monaco was partly all the way down to rolling again on the suspension package deal it took to the Emilia-Romagna spherical. He added that the group would want extra time to get its head across the results earlier than reinstating it to the automobile.
“I feel tomorrow goes to be actually arduous with the new temperature and we’ll see, however the purpose is to try to maintain these tyres [in the best possible condition],” he stated.
“We have been doing lots of lengthy runs, we’ve got numerous information, however the others are additionally very robust.
“Coming again with a very good quali tempo, it felt fairly collectively. Let’s have a look at if we are able to have that feeling within the race.”
To learn extra Motorsport.com articles .
