Formula 1 News: Mercedes’ Impressive Pace in Canada Causes Rivals to Reassess Pecking Order
In a surprising turn of events, Mercedes’ dominant performance in Canada has led rival teams to reevaluate their position in the Formula 1 pecking order. Despite a scrappy race from George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, the team’s impressive pace has raised eyebrows among the competition.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella acknowledged that Mercedes is now delivering a car that appears to be out of reach for his squad in dry conditions. “I think Mercedes is part of the fastest teams,” he said. “Some of the lap times they did in Monaco, some of the lap times they did in previous events, they were at that stage of the weekend for us, out of range.“
One notable instance of Mercedes’ impressive pace came on Saturday morning in Canada, when Hamilton dominated final free practice with a lap that was 0.374 seconds faster than Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. While some of that gap may have been flattered by using an extra set of soft tires, it’s clear that Mercedes is now tapping into its potential.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff emphasized that it wasn’t just Hamilton’s single lap that demonstrated the team’s pace. “In FP3 Lewis did a lap that was out of this world. That was so quick,” said Wolff. “Then his long run was stratospheric, galactical. So, there was a lot of pace.“
A closer look at Hamilton’s long run from FP3 reveals an impressive string of lap times:
1m18.224s, 1m8.278s, 1m17.969s, 1m17.533s, followed by an outlier and then 1m17.559s and 1m18.490s.
In comparison, Verstappen’s long run produced lap times of:
1m18.777s, 1m18.419s, 1m17.980s, 1m17.884s, 1m17.982s, 1m17.935s, 1m18.334s, 1m18.889s, and 1m18.327s.
While the data alone puts Hamilton’s run slightly ahead, the fuel loads remain unknown, which could be the key to Wolff’s enthusiasm. If Hamilton was able to achieve that form with a hefty tank, it would be a significant indication of Mercedes’ potential.
The German team’s strong form in Canada wasn’t just about lap times, however. Its new front wing has done much to address the balance problems that have plagued the W15. By curing low-speed understeer, the team has made the car less nervous in high-speed corners and more stable in slower turns.
As McLaren’s Andrea Stella noted, the new front wing could be the key to unlocking Mercedes’ full potential. “I’m not surprised that Mercedes could unlock some performance working on the front wing,” he said. “There is a possibility that they have also kind of fixed some issues that they were having with the previous front wing.“
With its current pace, Mercedes is now a force to be reckoned with in the Formula 1 standings. As the season heats up, it will be interesting to see if the team can maintain its momentum and challenge for victories in the coming races.
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