The best Mercedes in a year and a half? In Canada, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell want to get closer to the dominant Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton is the record winner of Formula 1 in Canada, and nothing will change this weekend either. The Mercedes frontman won seven times at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, just as often as Germany’s icon Michael Schumacher.
Two record world champions among themselves – even the untouchable Max Verstappen still has a long way to go: last year the Red Bull star won for the first time ever on the full-throttle course in Montreal.
Hardly anyone doubts that next Sunday (8:00 p.m.) the number two for the now two-time world champion will be added. However: After a frustrating year in 2022 and a not much better first third of the season in 2023, Mercedes has apparently risen to become the number one pursuer again.
“This is our best car for a year and a half,” said Hamilton, who was second in Barcelona: “Something’s going on again.”
Exactly what, one can only speculate. However, one thing is certain: If Hamilton and his ambitious young teammate George Russell can save Barcelona’s pace across the pond, at least Sergio Perez should be warned in the second Red Bull. In Barcelona, after another failed qualifying session, the ambitious Mexican could only do fourth place behind Verstappen, Hamilton and Russell.
Formula 1: Barcelona met Mercedes
The update that Mercedes launched in Monaco at the end of May seems to be paying off. Better tire management, more stable race pace and two hungry drivers. “Slowly,” says Mercedes Motorsport Director Toto Wolff: “Only regularity will show whether we’re on the right track.”
But currently on a much better one than Ferrari and Aston Martin, which were so strong at the beginning of the season. Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc, who seemed almost desperate, and Carlos Sainz, who was no less perplexed, doesn’t seem to see any light on the horizon at all, and Aston Martin with veteran Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, who was always a little overwhelmed, had by far their worst race weekend of the season in Barcelona .
And yet, in the midst of the Mercedes upswing, Toto Wolff sees himself more as a reminder. “We have to keep our expectations in check,” said the Austrian.
Barcelona was a track “that suited our car, but we should assume that our direct competitors will be stronger in the next few races.” The gap to Red Bull is still large, “it will take a lot of hard work to reduce it, but we are ready for the challenge.”
Wolff has so far remained silent as to whether the contract extension with Lewis Hamilton beyond the end of the 2023 season will be finalized before the race in Montreal. Hamilton reported “good talks”, but without going into the result. After all, Wolff hinted that there would soon be something ready to say: “I think we’re talking about days rather than weeks.”