Mercedes had a challenging afternoon in Mexico City. A disappointing result and issues over team orders led to frustration within the team. Although the German racing team still scored important points, they had to settle for a supporting role. In the constructors’ championship, Mercedes now ranks third with 355 points – one point behind Ferrari and nine ahead of Red Bull.
With team boss Toto Wolff absent, team representative Bradley Lord took over in Mexico. He candidly admitted after the race that the weekend did not go as hoped for the Silver Arrows. “It was a really tough and frustrating afternoon for us,” said Lord. “We were constantly racing in a group where everyone was within a tenth of each other in terms of pace. On top of that, we also had to defend against Oscar Piastri, who was simply faster with his McLaren.”
According to Lord, the start of the race was anything but smooth for the team. Due to the chaos in the first corners, Mercedes lost ground early on. “The first laps just didn’t go our way,” he explained. “George was one of the few in the top five who stayed neatly within the white lines, but as a result, he lost places. A few laps later, he was pushed out and lost another two positions.”
Team Orders Without Results
Midway through the race, Mercedes decided to switch the order between the two drivers, hoping that George Russell could overtake Oliver Bearman’s Haas. However, this yielded no results. “After a few laps, we switched the cars to give George a chance to attack the Haas,” said Lord. “He thought he still had some speed left, but his tires were already over the top due to driving in dirty air. In the end, there was simply no more than this.” Lord concluded with a sober look ahead: “Today was mainly about damage control. The championship remains incredibly exciting, so we’re going full throttle towards Brazil.”
