Racer-turned-TV pundit Ralf Schumacher believes seven-time Mercedes champion Lewis Hamilton has adapted to the team’s innovations a little better than young marque partner George Russell.
The heavily modified superstar car made its debut over the weekend in Monaco, but its first real test was the Spanish Grand Prix, because the Barcelona track is more suitable for testing innovations than the principality’s classic and unique strip of asphalt. As for the result of this test, the team can be quite satisfied with it.
In Barcelona, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell could also stand on the podium. The routine champion, who had performed more convincingly over the weekend, was second, and his young teammate third. Of the two, the older driver seemed more confident in Monaco as well.
“Louis seemed to take on the new concept a bit more than George, and he seemed very happy.” – said the former Williams and Toyota driver. “He seemed very relaxed and saw the light at the end of the tunnel again. He sees an opportunity to win the race again one day and has a chance of winning an eighth championship at some point.”
“I feel his optimism left him for a while, but now he’s managed to get it back.” – continued the German, who also has a strong opinion about whether Mercedes can be considered a copy of Red Bull after the introduction of innovations.
According to him, there is no question of reproduction. “Mercedes followed the competition with this concept. They did not imitate Red Bull, but moved in their direction with their idea. They went back to the classic sideboxes and got a new floor. In other words, the aerodynamics are completely new. The front suspension has also changed. All in all, they’re back to the old ways. He said.
As for continuing, according to Schumacher, Mercedes could soon be back among the winners, although he still needs to get to know his new car, which will take time. “Since they were posted to Monaco and couldn’t test it, it’s been a bumpy ride. The most important thing is that they understand the problem and that the new concept works. With the methodology we know, Mercedes will soon be able to fight for victory. – Tell.
“However, the truth is that sometimes Max Verstappen leads a completely different league. I would now say that Mercedes has outperformed Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin. This team is not yet that experienced and does not have the necessary structure. We saw this in Barcelona as well, where it was Their car is good but not good enough. They still have weaknesses and that showed in Barcelona.” He finished his thought.
Lewis Hamilton (Photo: EPA/Enric Fontcuberta)
