Mercedes in trouble again: George Russell concerned about drop in form

The play successful Belgium brought different disappointment for the squad that is inactive trying to instrumentality to its erstwhile glory. After a mediocre qualifying and a lackluster pace, it is becoming progressively wide that the problems that person arisen passim the play person lone deepened.

For the 27-year-old operator from Great Britain, Lando Norris, past play astatine the Spa-Francorchamps way was bittersweet; due to method irregularities, helium mislaid the accidental to combat for victory. However, this twelvemonth the disappointment comes adjacent earlier the commencement of the race.

In the sprint qualifying helium took 13th place, which was his worst effect this season. He spent the full shorter contention down Yuki Tsunoda, and successful the extremity helium finished 12th, acknowledgment solely to the information that Pierre Gasly did not adjacent start. In the main qualifying helium managed to marque it to Q3, but the effect was not encouraging – sixth spot and a spread of 0.639 seconds down the leader.

Bad strategy and further complications

An further stroke came erstwhile helium was overtaken astatine the extremity of the league by Alex Albon successful Williams - a squad that uses the aforesaid powerfulness units. His teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli was not arsenic fortunate – helium was already eliminated successful Q1 and volition commencement the contention from the pits.

"The laps worked truly good for me," Russell said. "But obviously, arsenic a team, we're not up to par this weekend. And, isolated from yesterday, this is my worst qualifying of the twelvemonth - the aforesaid goes for Kimi, truthful we person to recognize what's going on."

Mercedes opted for constricted changes to the settings truthful arsenic not to marque matters worse.

"Historically, during a sprint weekend, if you person a atrocious sprint and crook the settings upside down for the adjacent day, it seldom works," explained the British driver.

“So we made immoderate sensible changes, but we conscionable person to recognize – successful the archetypal six races of the twelvemonth we had 4 podiums and present lone 1 successful the past six. It’s wide that we’ve taken a large measurement backmost towards the mediate of the table.”

A look backmost astatine the commencement of the play shows however overmuch things person changed. The Brackley squad had coagulated gait astatine the commencement of the year. The effect successful Bahrain successful peculiar stood out, wherever the 27-year-old finished 2nd contempt large method problems. However, the triumph successful Canada came not from sheer speed, but from an mishap betwixt McLaren drivers.

The strategy successful Belgium could beryllium further analyzable by the weather. Track conditions and cooler temperatures marque it much apt that the brushed and mean tyres volition beryllium used, portion rainfall would wholly alteration the expected plans.

“There won’t beryllium immoderate much overtaking successful the archetypal stint than successful a sprint race,” said Russell. “But of course, erstwhile you spell into the pits, if it’s dry, cipher knows if the hard tyre is going to beryllium a bully enactment oregon not, and that could unit teams to marque 2 stops. Some mightiness effort conscionable one, truthful erstwhile you person antithetic strategies, it opens up possibilities.

But it looks similar it’s going to beryllium rainy – and bedewed races often bring chaos…”