Mercedes claims that its performance gap to Red Bull and McLaren in Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix doesn’t accurately reflect its potential. Lewis Hamilton achieved his first non-sprint podium of the season by finishing third behind Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. While Verstappen and Norris were closely matched, Hamilton was 15 seconds behind, indicating room for improvement. However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff argues that the final result isn’t representative of their true capability because Hamilton eased off towards the end. Hamilton backed off as there was no point in pushing harder; he couldn’t catch the leaders and was safe from any threats behind, particularly since his teammate George Russell struggled on hard tires.
Analysis of Hamilton’s lap times revealed that he was competitive with Norris during the first two stints but slowed significantly in the final stint on soft tires. Initially close to Norris, the gap widened to over a second per lap as Hamilton focused on finishing the race. Wolff noted that while Mercedes still needs improvement, their performance was closer to the leaders than it appeared. He believes that the team is just a few tenths of a second behind Red Bull and McLaren in terms of pace.
Despite finishing third and fourth, Mercedes acknowledges that Red Bull and McLaren are currently setting the benchmark. Wolff praised McLaren’s speed and Verstappen’s ability to make a difference. He estimates that Mercedes is about three-tenths behind the leaders. If they can bridge this gap, especially as they continue to upgrade their car, they could compete for victories. Wolff also reflected on the Montreal race, where they had a chance to win but didn’t capitalize on the opportunity, suggesting they have the potential to be competitive under the right conditions.
