Mercedes is not consistently back on the same level as the frontrunners despite recent progress, Toto Wolff claims.
Upgrades in Barcelona and at Silverstone have seen the Brackley-based team largely fix the porpoising problems that blighted the early part of their season.
However, bouncing issues have remained due to the stiff suspension on the W13, leading to very poor ride quality for their drivers, particularly in Baku.
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But in the closing laps in Canada and again at Silverstone, Mercedes have shown a race pace that is comparable to Ferrari and Red Bull.
So is the team now back at the front?
“We had some light at the end of the tunnel in Barcelona and then struggled on three street circuits so I don’t want to talk us up too much or be too pessimistic, I’d rather be cautious,” said Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.
“We still had our persistent ride issue all three days at Silverstone, which is a key focus for us to tackle but we showed strong pace this weekend which is pleasing and our updates seemed to work well.
Moments before @LewisHamilton took P3 on Sunday. ?
Pure driving, pure racing. That’s what makes us happy. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Pa8t0b31ha
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) July 6, 2022
“In Austria, there will be a couple of corners which haven’t made our car happy in the past but it’s a constant learning process for us,” he noted.
“This year is going to be a pretty tough one to win but we just need to get our house in order to be properly on top of the car’s performance.”
After Montreal, Lewis Hamilton suggested the “potential is truly there” in Mercedes’ 2022 car when the set-up is right.
And trackside engineering chief Andrew Shovlin agrees the team has come a long way.
“In the first few races, we were literally just sort of fighting to survive. The drivers were fighting to survive with a car that was incredibly difficult to work with,” he said.
“But we did a decent job of scoring points, actually, and picking up on the opportunities when others were unreliable.
“Barcelona was useful for us because we had something that wasn’t bouncing around on every circuit that we went to.
“This [Silverstone] update is the first one along the line that we started to create in Barcelona.
“And whilst our issues with bouncing, quite rightly, generated a lot of interest in the early races, because we were at the worst end of the pack, if you look at us here [at Silverstone], I think we’re actually near the better end of it.
“We’re certainly not the best, but we’re a long way from being the worst. So I think we have made progress.
“And what we’re left with is a car that is a bit stiffer than we would like. But it’s certainly a car that we can start to work with.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is less convinced Mercedes are a threat going forward, however, suggesting their pace will be circuit-specific.
“I think when we go to this type of track [Silverstone], it’s always going to play to their strengths,” he commented. “It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few [races].
“I would think France, in particular, would be good for them. They are probably pleased we’re not in Singapore next week.
“It’s going to be a case of swings and roundabouts.”
