Mercedes Faces Uphill Battle in Hungary: Concerns Over Hot Conditions and Track Layout Threaten F1 Winning Streak

Mercedes acknowledges a "significant change" in Hungary that may jeopardize their chances of a Formula 1 victory.

"The idea that keeping up the level of performance we saw in Silverstone might be challenging does add a layer of anxiety."

Mercedes is taking a careful approach regarding their prospects of repeating their Silverstone success at the upcoming F1 Hungarian Grand Prix this weekend.

Mercedes has seen a significant improvement in performance recently, securing two wins.

In the previous British Grand Prix, Mercedes secured the first two starting positions based on their performance and maintained the lead in a one-two formation during the race's dry period.

Lewis Hamilton's latest win at the 2023 Formula 1 race marked his first triumph since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, solidifying Mercedes' real advancement in the sport.

Nonetheless, given that the Hungaroring circuit has a layout that's entirely distinct from Silverstone's – coupled with forecasts predicting considerably hotter track conditions, Mercedes remains uncertain if they can challenge Red Bull and McLaren.

During a conversation on the F1 Nation podcast, Andrew Shovlin, who oversees Mercedes' trackside engineering, commented, "Indeed, we don't believe we secured the previous victory, so our focus is on triumphing in the upcoming one. The thought of keeping up the level of performance we reached in Silverstone actually adds to the nerves, as it's expected to be quite challenging."

"Examining the major distinction for Hungary, it appears to be a crucial evaluation of our ability to improve our performance in hot weather over the long term. Previously, in Barcelona and Austria, we found ourselves unable to keep pace with Lando or Max during the extended runs, as both of their cars significantly outperformed ours. We're optimistic that we've advanced somewhat since then."

Mercedes lagged significantly behind the leading two teams in Spain and Austria, where the weather conditions were notably warmer.

George Russell secured a victory at the Red Bull Ring, benefiting from a collision between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, which clearly disadvantaged the latter.

Shovlin is doubtful that Mercedes has managed to close that distance so far.

"Considering the margin we saw in the last two races, it would be unexpected for us to make up that much ground. However, our initial performance at Silverstone was unexpectedly strong," he further stated.

"We didn't anticipate being able to pull ahead during that dry segment of the race. Our expectation was a scenario similar to Barcelona, where George took the lead only to find himself with the other two right on his tail."

"That circuit presents a variety of challenges. We're able to replicate some of those difficulties. We're aware of the kinds of obstacles we're likely to face. Our focus will be on dedicating time to prep work, ensuring we begin with the optimal configuration possible. The question then becomes, how do we evolve from that point?"

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