George Russell Stands by Mercedes’ Floor Upgrade Despite Dutch GP Setback

George Russell believes Mercedes' new floor is performing according to plan, despite the challenges at Zandvoort

"I am convinced that the floor is functioning according to our expectations, and I believe the issues we encountered at Zandvoort weren't related to the new upgrade."

George Russell is of the opinion that the challenging weekend Mercedes faced at the Dutch Grand Prix wasn't due to their latest floor design.

Mercedes faced challenges during Sunday's race at Zandvoort, securing the seventh and eighth places respectively.

As the Dutch Grand Prix approached, Mercedes was on a hot streak, having secured victories in three out of the last four races.

Toto Wolff hinted that their slow performance might be due to insufficient practice in dry conditions, although the exact cause was not specified.

Mercedes' latest floor modification, initially unveiled at the Belgian Grand Prix, garnered considerable interest before being abandoned for the rest of the event.

Mercedes' technical chief, James Allison, has acknowledged that they are yet to determine if their strategy is functioning as planned.

In a conversation with media outlets such as Crash.net at Monza, Russell provided clarity on the issue concerning the floor.

"He mentioned that the upcoming weekend presents yet another chance for us to evaluate it. He explained that introducing an enhancement to the vehicle typically results in a slight improvement, perhaps one or two tenths at most. However, the actual performance can vary significantly from one race to another, sometimes by several tenths. He pointed out that if a team experiences a disappointing weekend that happens to align with when an upgrade is implemented, it's easy to hastily blame the new changes. Conversely, if you compete in six consecutive races with the same setup, you'll notice your performance can differ by as much as half a second from your competitors."

"I believe the floor is performing according to our expectations, and the issues we encountered at Zandvoort don't seem to be related to the recent upgrades. We have another chance to prove this in the upcoming weekend."

"Perhaps after Monza, we could try a new approach. I believe it's functioning according to our expectations."

Reflecting on the Zandvoort race, Russell acknowledged that Mercedes did not perform as well as expected and is aiming for a stronger performance at Monza this upcoming weekend.

"In Zandvoort, our performance was certainly below expectations," he clarified. "We had several theories for this underperformance. The weekend presented us with significant challenges, including intense winds. The track's aging surface contributed to considerable sliding. McLaren stood out remarkably, but I am optimistic and anticipate a more favorable outcome this week, thanks to the insights gained from our experience in Zandvoort. It involved adjustments to the vehicle that, in hindsight, we recognize didn't align with our intended path."

"However, during the actual race weekend, the issue wasn't immediately apparent. It was only upon reflection and analysis afterward that we pinpointed the specific area where we fell short. Going forward, it's crucial that we steer clear of this pitfall."

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