Although buoyed by final week’s lead to Canada, Mercedes technical director, Mike Elliot is not assured that Silverstone will witness an analogous revival.
By rights, having gained the British Grand Prix on 8 of the final 9 events it was held, Mercedes ought to be heading into the Silverstone weekend feeling quietly assured.
Nonetheless, that was earlier than the porpoising difficulty which has plagued the group since pre-season testing, and although there have been indicators that the group is on high of the issue, solely time will inform.
Seven of these wins got here from Lewis Hamilton, who final weekend scored his second podium of the season, prompting followers to surprise; ‘might he, will he?’
In its Canada debrief, technical director, Mike Elliot, whereas revealing that the group will likely be taking new elements to Silverstone, admits that the W13 is not but on the identical tempo because the Purple Bull and Ferrari.
“One factor you will be positive of is we’ll push as laborious as we are able to,” he says. “We will likely be bringing new bits to Silverstone, we will likely be making an attempt to push the automobile ahead, making an attempt to get some tempo from the automobile we have got or from the package deal we have got in addition to the brand new bits we’re going to add to it.
“On the identical time although we’ve got to be trustworthy with ourselves and say that, for the time being, we’re just a bit bit behind these entrance runners in Ferrari and Purple Bull. And in a standard race I believe it’s going to be powerful.”
In Montreal, group boss, Toto Wolff admitted confidence that the porpoising difficulty is solved, although he admitted there stay doubts over the W13’s stiffness, the Austrian believing that the automobile’s issues are observe particular.
“It’s extra that the trip of the vehicles is actually what causes the feedback of the drivers,” he stated. The vehicles are merely all too stiff. The kerb trip is dangerous, the bump trip is dangerous and I’d say that now, with dissecting this drawback, you possibly can sort out it higher.
“What we see within the vehicles is simply the stiffness,” he added. “You take a look at a few of the sluggish motions from the 2 main vehicles and the Alpines, you see that they’re bouncing off the kerb in a really laborious approach. That is what the drivers really complained about, the stiffness of the automobile. That is one thing we have to take a look at, how we are able to cut back the influence.
“And naturally, the smoother the observe, the higher,” he continued. “The decrease the kerbs, the much less we see this phenomenon.”
“Silverstone will likely be a circuit that fits us just a little bit higher, like Barcelona did,” says Elliott, “however perhaps it is going to be just a bit bit tough.
“No matter occurs we’ll push as laborious as we are able to. Our drivers will push as laborious as we are able to as a result of we need to get again to profitable.
“We need to win for the group, we positively need to win and we need to win for you, the followers, so let’s examine what occurs.”
Our cash’s on Mercedes scoring a 1-2, or at the very least one of many Silver Arrows standing on the highest step of the rostrum, most certainly Hamilton. Not a lot as a result of we imagine Mercedes is on high of the issue, however fairly as a result of that is what the Netflix script requires.
