Mercedes unsure whether gains seen in Melbourne were 'track-specific' · RaceFans

Mercedes’ best efficiency of the season to date in Melbourne final week left its drivers questioning whether or not that is the form of issues to come back.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton claimed second and third on the grid in Australia. Sergio Perez’s elimination within the first spherical of qualifying handed them the chance to line up instantly behind Max Verstappen.

Though the 2 Mercedes drivers handed Verstappen at the beginning, they have been unable to include the Purple Bull over the race distance, and Russell didn’t see the chequered flag as a consequence of an influence unit failure. However Hamilton held Fernando Alonso off to take second place, the workforce’s highest end of the season to date.

After qualifying on Saturday, Hamilton prompt Mercedes’ efficiency was “maybe track-specific,” having completed off the rostrum in Bahrain and Jeddah. Nevertheless Russell believed it was a product of enhancements the workforce has made with its automobile.

“For certain, we maximised the job [on Saturday], little doubt about it,” mentioned Russell, “however we had a great qualifying final week in Jeddah. I didn’t put my lap collectively within the final run in Jeddah, and was solely a tenth off P3.

“So no, I don’t suppose it’s essentially track-specific. I do suppose we’re making some enhancements with the understanding of the automobile.”

He additionally believes the issue of extracting the very best from Pirelli’s tyres within the cool circumstances of qualifying gives a part of the reason.

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“The tyres play an enormous issue,” he famous. “While you get these tyres within the candy spot, you make an enormous leap, and I believe even I improved four-tenths perhaps on my final run in Q3. So sadly, it’s all tyres, tyres, tyres.”

After the race weekend Mercedes’ chief technical officer James Allison mentioned the workforce made a slight acquire which was flattered considerably by the performances of others.

“We didn’t have enormous breakthroughs however we moved ahead just a little bit,” he mentioned in a video produced by the workforce. “We put a small quantity on the leaders, Purple Bull, and we’re beginning to get on phrases with and perhaps simply nostril a whisker in entrance of the Ferraris and the Aston Martin.”

“Was it anticipated? Broadly, sure, as a result of truly the efficiency stage in Australia was not markedly completely different to that within the different two tracks to date this yr. Totally different, sure, to Purple Bull, however not a very completely different animal in comparison with the remainder of the sector.

“I believe most likely the most important shift in Australia was truly that Purple Bull have been just a little bit extra off-form in qualifying in comparison with the remainder of the grid and that kind of closed up the grid. However for those who have a look at the relative tempo of our automobile to the Ferrari, our automobile to the Aston Martin, it’s been close-ish all yr. Sure, we’re just a little bit on the higher facet, however it wasn’t seismic.”

The workforce’s efficiency wasn’t far past what it thought was attainable going into the weekend, mentioned Allison.

“We anticipated to be within the battle with Ferrari and Aston Martin and it’s pleasing simply have our noses in entrance. However we did anticipate to be there. How a lot of of the general good results of the weekend was track-specific and the way a lot got here from issues we did, I assume time will inform.

We’ll go to some extra very completely different tracks within the subsequent within the subsequent few weeks and we’ll see whether or not this was the kind of preliminary bellwether of a basic uptick in our in our efficiency, which we hope, or whether or not it was associated to the fairly uncommon monitor circumstances that we noticed this weekend in Melbourne.”