© Stephen Reuss for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher says Lewis Hamilton “seems very relieved and sees light on the horizon again that he can soon win another race, and maybe still have the chance to win his eighth World title”.
Mercedes introduced its big upgrade package for the W14 in Monaco, and after a great result at the Spanish Grand Prix, there’s no doubt that it was a success.
However, in Spain, Lewis Hamilton seemed to ‘get along’ with the upgraded W14 a bit better than George Russell. Ralf Schumacher also believes this to be the case.
“Lewis Hamilton seems to be getting along with the new concept a little better than George Russell and also seemed extremely happy,” Schumacher said.
“He seems very relieved and sees light on the horizon again that he can soon win another race and maybe still have the chance to win his eighth World title at some point.
“I felt the optimism had left him for a while. Now it’s back.”
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While some observers have noted that Mercedes opted to drop their unique zero-sidepods concept, for a design that is more similar to Red Bull’s, Schumacher says it is definitely not a copy.
“Mercedes followed the competition with its concept. They haven’t copied the Red Bull concept, but went in that direction with the idea.
“They have gone back to the classic sidepods and have a new floor. In other words, completely new aerodynamics. They also changed the front suspension.
“Overall, they’ve gone back to the old way.”
Ultimately, Schumacher thinks it’s only a matter of time before Mercedes can seriously challenge Red Bull.
“Because they started in Monaco and couldn’t do any tests, it was a difficult and rocky road,” he continued.
“The most important thing is that they understand the problem, the new concept works and with the methodology as we know Mercedes, they will soon be fighting for victories again.
“However, it is also part of the truth that Max Verstappen drove in a different world at times. I would say that Mercedes has overtaken Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin for now.
“The team isn’t that experienced and doesn’t quite have these structures yet. You could see it well in Barcelona. The car was okay, but not good enough.
“There are still some weaknesses and they were well demonstrated in Barcelona,” the German concluded.
