Mercedes Targets Improvement with Upcoming Upgrades
In preparation for a challenging trio of races in Imola, Monaco, and Barcelona, Mercedes’ technical director James Allison has confirmed the team will introduce key upgrades aimed at closing the performance gap to leading competitors, particularly McLaren.
The latest iteration of McLaren showcased their dominance at the Miami Grand Prix, with Oscar Piastri taking the victory ahead of teammate Lando Norris, while George Russell of Mercedes trailed in third, over thirty seconds behind. Piastri’s win has expanded his lead in the drivers’ standings, where he now sits 38 points ahead of Russell, who is just six points behind second-place Max Verstappen.
Allison noted that while Mercedes has implemented minor upgrades thus far, more significant changes are on the horizon. “We have actually been bringing upgrades. They’re not particularly enormous or sexy, but they’ve been coming in a steady trickle,” he remarked. “With a bit of luck, the upgrades in the next couple of races will improve our fortunes.”
As the season advances at a fast pace, Allison emphasized the difficulties of implementing changes while contending with back-to-back races. “It’s quite difficult to get upgrades to the car within this sort of schedule,” he stated.
Mercedes’ qualifying performances have shown promise, with Kimi Antonelli securing pole position for the Sprint in Miami and just narrowly missing pole for the main race by 0.067 seconds. Allison believes managing tire temperatures will be crucial for maximizing race pace. “We’ve been pretty strong in qualifying, and while we expect some improvement from the upgrades, the primary focus will be on controlling tire temperatures to leverage our potential,” he explained.
As the team moves forward, all eyes will be on how effectively they can translate their qualifying strength into race-day performance in the upcoming rounds.
