The chances of seeing the feared silver arrows fighting for the world championship again had rekindled Barcelona. The Catalan weekend saw a clear performance improvement, but a Monaco Mercedes had a relapse – although they made the top 5 once again.
Fifth place achieved by George Russell it is, in fact, a halfway satisfaction. Because on the other side there are the disappointing results of Lewis Hamilton, which offer a clearer picture of the machine's limitations. The next two appointments are Baku e Canada. Two circuits that will put the W13 and its limits to the test. So will we have to wait for Silverstone to see a Barcelona-style Mercedes?
One problem after another
Although the team worked hard, the principality circuit highlighted other problems with the W13, in particular related to the suspensions and the difficulty in finding a high aerodynamic load, in a circuit as demanding as that of the Principality. A mechanical limitation. So far this season, the Mercedes focused on correcting the pouring via aerodynamic modifications. The W13, in Monaco, once again presented itself with a very nervous rear end: “We have poor rear downforce” – Hamilton said after qualifying – “Lots of front, and nothing on the back.” In the race not even the rain revived hopes, so much so that for Lewis, who found himself in the middle of the chaos of the middle of the pack, it was yet another frustrating situation.
"I was happy when the rain came because it usually creates opportunities - Said Lewis Hamilton at the end of the race – unfortunately it didn't go that way and we couldn't overtake Ocon when I was on the intermediates. "
In small steps
The only glimmer for Mercedes lies in the consistent results dthe George Russells, even if both cars did not have an ideal pace and above all, they are still far from the standards put on track by Ferrari e Red Bull.
“It was a solid afternoon for George, a frustrating one for Lewis. There were laps in which he was stuck behind due to contact with Esteban Ocon, penalized for the collision; then the slow pace of Alonso, without which he would have competed against Lando and George” – said the team principal Toto wolff at the end of the race – “We learned some important lessons about the car and they will be the basis for rebuilding our performance and getting back into the fight at the front".
At the moment the W13 is a bit "in no man's land", without infamy and without praise. The objective is therefore to learn from each circuit and confirm itself as the third force, extracting the maximum potential from the car and the team. The important it seems above all gain as much experience as possible also in view of the new season and the new project that will have to compensate for this.
On the question relating to the 2023 project and the future of the W13 Toto Wolff said that they have not yet reached a crossroads on this decision: “At the moment there is still a lot of belief in the structure and organization and we are trying to bring development and understanding to increase the pace of the car.
"I think that we just have to keep grinding and then, if you need to make decisions for next year that cannot be changed on the current car, be it architecture or aerodynamics, so yes, these decisions need to happen. But we're not at that point yet" concluded Wolff.
Silverstone last resort for Mercedes?
Silverstone is a really important event for the team. Doing badly here would mean an even tougher defeat to send anymore. There hopeAt least that's what it is to be able to get a victory this weekend in which both drivers will play "at home". Right here Mercedes should focus on development by equipping the W13 with an important update package.
