Mercedes had a disappointing weekend in Belgium. Lewis Hamilton was again one place short of the podium, despite qualifying P3. His teammate George Russell came in P6. Mercedes’ W14 was not able to display the same speed as the Hungarian GP qualifying. Mercedes CTO Mike Elliott thinks that porpoising was a factor in Mercedes’ disappointing results.
Elliott was unsure of the reason for their car’s bouncing. The only practice session for the weekend was hampered by rain, so they weren’t able to fully analyze the car. He is inclined to believe that the porpoising was caused by the track. However, the W14 upgrades could also be a reason for the bouncing.
The question is how much was due to the circuit and how much to set-up, because it was obviously a wet weekend. We’ll also look closely at the upgrade kit to make sure that we haven’t introduced bouncing. At the moment, we believe it is probably due to the setup or circuit itself,” Elliott said.
Lewis Hamilton warns Mercedes rivals of upcoming changes
In Belgium, Mercedes’ first half of the year was disappointing. Hamilton finished on P4 while George Russell ended up P6. Even though they are second in constructor standings, Red Bull is still ahead by 256 points. Hamilton spoke about Mercedes’ future plans as the summer break started.
Hamilton and Russell thanked the fans for their support. Hamilton told fans in a statement to get ready for Mercedes’ ‘pushing crazy’ after the mid-season break.
“Yeah, guys, I just wanted to thank you all for your support during these races. We hope to see some of you during the second half. Hamilton warned that the second half will be a frenzied push.
Hamilton is fourth in the standings for drivers, and only one point separates him from third place Fernando Alonso. George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, is in sixth place and equal in points to Charles Leclerc.
