Mercedes Plans Comeback with Revised F1 Upgrades at Dutch Grand Prix After Spa Setback

Mercedes announces a reversal in their F1 upgrade strategy following the emergence of issues at Spa. The team outlines their intention to bring back the Spa enhancements at the Zandvoort race scheduled for later in the month.

Mercedes intends to implement their latest Formula 1 enhancements as the season picks up again at the Dutch Grand Prix later this month.

Following the debut of a new floor and various other components at the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday, Mercedes decided to return to the specifications they previously used in Silverstone.

Mercedes faced difficulties with speed at Spa-Francorchamps due to issues with bouncing during fast corners.

Initially, it was proposed that, similar to Ferrari, Mercedes also faced issues with their car bouncing, attributed to the introduction of their latest floor upgrade.

Nonetheless, Andrew Shovlin, the chief engineer at the racetrack, doesn't believe the enhancements were entirely responsible for their issues.

"In our most recent video discussing the race, he mentioned, 'That's our plan.' He explained that the decision to return the car to its Silverstone configuration on Friday night stemmed from our strong performance there. He noted that Spa and Silverstone circuits don't vary significantly in the range of corner speeds encountered."

"It was evident that we had introduced some issues at some point. We believe this was primarily because of the way we were operating the car at Spa, and not necessarily because of the updates."

"We were experiencing some instability at high speeds and balance problems until we switched to the Silverstone car, which resolved these issues and restored the car's performance."

This strategy turned out to be a brilliant move, with Lewis Hamilton securing his second win of the 2024 F1 season. This came as Mercedes achieved a first and second-place finish on the track, only for George Russell to later be disqualified.

Mercedes plans to analyze data during the summer hiatus, aiming to bring back their strategies at the Zandvoort race.

"After reviewing the data and analyzing our actions, we are quite optimistic about making a comeback in Zandvoort," he further stated.

In 2024, only Red Bull has achieved more race victories than Mercedes, a significant shift considering their lack of podium placements until the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

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