Mercedes It seems to be making a comeback. Toto Wolff he has been convinced of this for weeks. During the ninth round of the season, Max Verstappen has shown the ability to maximize the outcome of weekend. This despite the problems suffered on the power unit on Friday, relating to the system malfunction ERS. A good RB20 which, however, certainly did not prove to be unbeatable. For the rest the confirmation of McLaren that gives You love me has decidedly changed pace and that in all likelihood it is going off track Montreal with more regret than satisfaction.
For the Scuderia Ferrari it could be a weekend where everything that could go wrong happened on time. Hypothesis that will have to be supported by a sudden return to the levels of excellence appreciated until the triumph Grand Prix Of MonkWhere Charles Leclerc he really put together a performance super. Even more surprising, at least in some ways, is the superb performance of the Mercedes. W15 that at the hands of George Russell got the first pole of the season of F1showing himself capable of competing for victory with both cars.
The track named after Gilles Villeneuve it requires settings that mitigate the Mercedes’ atavistic problems in extracting maximum load through the bottom. Furthermore, the lower temperatures allowed the W15 to optimize the use of compound Pirelli. Effectively Montreal it is a talisman track in which even the nefarious W13 B he managed to make a good impression. The stable headed by Toto Wolff is waiting on the circuit Montmeloa real open-air wind tunnel, to confirm that the competitiveness displayed in Quebec was not the result of various factors favorable to W15.
Going into the merits of performanceit can certainly be said that the overall result of the weekend it could have been even better. He thinks so strongly Wolff. In fact, in the second run of the Q3Sir Lewis Hamilton was unable to improve his seventh time. While in the race, Russell committed several mistakes that allowed a Norris And Verstappen to overcome it in rapid sequence. For this reason the two British of Mercedes they fought for third position, after a further close encounter between George And Oscar Piastriin correspondence with the chicane which precedes the main straight.
According to Wolff, is Russell the certainty for Mercedes?
Watching the evolution of the race in Canada a far from far-fetched thought began to take shape. From a purely contractual point of view, Mercedes he has already said goodbye Lewis Hamilton who preferred to end his legendary career at the court of Ferrari. The situation is more complex George Russellwhose contract expires at the end of 2025. The young English driver, in just over two seasons with the team directed by Wolffpicked up one win and two pole position. Loot that might seem small for an alleged talent of his caliber.
However, on the rare occasions when the vehicle was up to par with the pilots, it was always the one who seized the opportunity Russellwith the exception of pole in Hungary last year signed by the seven-time British world champion. The feeling is that Russell is not the man to build the future on Wolff. Basically what it is Max Verstappen For Red Bull And Charles Leclerc hopes to be for the prancing Horse. Starting from these assumptions, the obsession with is not surprising Wolff For Kimi Antonelli that the manager Austrian is trying to grow rapidly, through an intense program of private testing with the cars Mercedes of past seasons.
The Bolognese driver is a fan of the team principal Viennese, as it represents the best product of the youth program of Mercedes which in many years has not created riders capable of replicating the exploits of the three-time Dutch world champion or the Monegasque talent of the red. The landing of Kimi Antonelli In the team official of F1 is considered a priority. This despite the fact that the young man from Bologna has not yet reached the age of majority and has in fact taken a huge step, moving directly from Regional Formula (with some races also in the Italian GT championship) at Formula 2.
Going from a single-seater with a 270 horsepower engine to a racing car that produces 620 horsepower is not trivial. Plus there’s another dot Wolffnow confessable: Max Verstappen. It’s natural that having a seven-time world champion at home boss from the Mercedes he couldn’t go too far. But now what Lewis he chose the path Ferrari for the next world championship season, the Dutch driver represents not only the only alternative to the Anglo Caribbean champion, but also a move to deal the definitive blow of KO to the alleged powder magazine located at Milton Keynes.
Three pilots for two seats, that’s a real situation Mercedes has managed in the past, leaving Russell in Williams to keep the reliable and faithful squire on board Valtteri Bottas. For the above considerations, the position of Russell seems extremely delicate, because he has a world championship and a half left to demonstrate that he can absorb the weight of team on our shoulders and achieve ambitious goals. This can only happen by bordering on the excellent, because the obsession with Wolff For Verstappen And Antonelli is far from veiled and could complicate things for the 26-year-old English native King’s Lynn.
Author: Roberto Cecere – @robertofunoat
Images: Mercedes AMG F1 Team
