The recent triple header was not one for Mercedes to write home about. The Silver Arrows were plagued by unexpected retirements from Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and even saw Ferrari overtake them in the championship. However, Mercedes hopes to turn the tide in Canada with cooler temperatures and ‘one or two new things to bring along’.
Eighteen World Championship points. That was the result of the recent triple header for Mercedes. As a result, the Silver Arrows were overtaken by Ferrari in the championship. The Scuderia is now six points ahead of Mercedes. It’s high time for the German racing team to turn the tide. Mercedes hopes to at least make a start on this during the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix.
Technical director James Allison reveals that the Silver Arrows will bring upgrades to Montreal. Mercedes already had larger upgrades ready for the triple header, but due to the problems in Imola, the new rear suspension was put on hold, among other things. “We have certainly been plagued by unexpected retirements due to parts that we never expected would cause a retirement,” Allison tells Motorsport Week. “So with a bit of luck, things will go much better in the future.”
Cooler Temperatures in Canada
The racing team has already had some luck with the weather. Generally, it is cooler in Canada than in Southern Europe, and the Mercedes performs better in lower temperatures. Since 2024, Mercedes’ performance has been hindered in warmer temperatures, and Allison admits that the problem was exacerbated by poor decisions regarding the setups during the triple header. “I think the most important thing about these three races was that we had the car quite wrongly set up during the first few, asked too much of the rear axle, and therefore suffered heavily,” he said.
In Barcelona, where George Russell did cross the finish line in fourth place, Mercedes had a better handle on the setup. “We approached Barcelona with a different mindset. As a result, on a circuit that would have crushed our tires if we had approached it the same way as in Imola and Monaco, we were actually a bit more ourselves,” Allison continues. Therefore, Mercedes is learning from the Spanish race. “Looking ahead and knowing that we can do more of that and lean on it more in the coming races, I think that’s good,” he concludes.
