Mercedes Reflect on ‘Weak’ Baku Performance Despite Russell’s Podium Finish: A Deep Dive with Andrew Shovlin and Toto Wolff

Mercedes admits reality without illusions following acknowledgment of challenges

Andrew Shovlin examines Mercedes' difficulties in Baku

Mercedes asserts that they will remain focused and not let George Russell's surprising podium finish in Baku distract them.

Russell was on track to end up in fifth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which had been uneventful for his F1 team. However, a collision that took out Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz resulted in him securing a third-place finish.

Earlier, he utilized the durability of hard tires to pass by Max Verstappen.

Andrew Shovlin, who is the Trackside Engineering Director for Mercedes, remarked that while it was pleasant to have a car finish in the top three, they are not under any illusions about their performance.

"This weekend's performance has fallen short, and we must do better. Both drivers had a poor start."

"We were unable to prevent the rear tires from becoming too hot, and at one stage, it seemed like we were facing a challenging afternoon ahead."

"The hard tires were much more compatible with our needs. George had a clear track to figure out how to optimize the performance of the tires and keep them within an ideal range."

"That strategy benefited him in the later stages of the race. Although we lost significant time at the beginning and couldn't keep up with the front-runners, overtaking Verstappen was essential and ultimately secured our spot on the podium."

Lewis Hamilton's race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix didn't take off.

Due to new power unit components being added to his Mercedes, he began the race from the pitlane and ultimately secured a ninth-place finish.

"Lewis faced a challenging race because he repeatedly encountered DRS trains and was unable to pass them," Shovlin explained.

"The nearer he approached the vehicles in front, the more his tires overheated."

"In any case, we lacked the strength to earn a podium finish on merit here, and that’s what we need to focus our efforts on addressing."

"Next week presents a new challenge in Singapore, and we're eager to return to the race."

Toto Wolff commented, "We will focus on the positive aspect of today's race, which is that we managed to secure a podium finish with one of our cars."

"We noticed the situation at the front growing tense, which eventually resulted in Sainz and Perez crashing into the wall."

"Though we ended up in third place due to inheriting a podium spot, which is beyond our initial expectations, we acknowledge that, based on our performance today, we were realistically in fifth place."

"We will review the race and the entire weekend comprehensively. The performance during the latter part of our grand prix on the hard tires was promising."

"George managed to regulate the temperatures effectively and, by conserving his energy at the beginning of the stint, he was able to maintain a fast pace towards the end."

"Although Lewis encountered heavy traffic which made things harder for him, there were times when he demonstrated impressive speed."

"Our next stop is Singapore, a challenging track where predicting performance is tough. We'll analyze this weekend's data, work on enhancing the car's balance, and strive for a better showing there."

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