George Russell has revealed that Mercedes was able to “uncover a few things” upon reassessing the W15 that it hopes to change with the team’s 2025 Formula 1 car.
Mercedes appeared to be on an upward trend prior to the summer break when Russell and team-mate Lewis Hamilton combined to attain three victories in four races.
However, that has transpired to be another false dawn under the current ground effect regulations as Mercedes has attained a single podium in the seven races since.
Russell has remained upbeat about Mercedes’ prospects, though, as he divulged that last month’s three-week gap gave the side a chance to assess its 2024 machine.
With Mercedes resigned to fourth place this season, Russell has disclosed that the team has identified several areas that must be addressed for the W15’s successor.
“Obviously, we reverted with the upgrades that we brought to Spa,” Russell told media including Motorsport Week in the United States last month.
“I think these three weeks off have been great because it’s allowed us all to take a step back, reassess the car as a whole, also looking into next year.
“We’ve definitely uncovered a few things that we want to be changing going into next year.
“When you’re in the midst of a season, you sometimes don’t have that opportunity to really dig deep into the fundamentals of the car. That’s been really positive to see.”
Mercedes looking to validate 2025 changes
Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin has admitted the remaining races will validate whether it is on the right track with the tweaks it has planned.
“We are going to be looking at all the remaining tracks to assess performance and just confirm what we understand about this car and whether the changes we are hoping to make for next year are going to improve those areas,” he said on Mercedes’ Brazil post-race debrief.
“Vegas has a lot of straight line and low-speed corners. Qatar is a faster track. And then, finishing in Abu Dhabi, which is a mix of everything, it will give us a good read on how we are performing and who is the benchmark.
“Sometimes it is Red Bull, sometimes McLaren, sometimes Ferrari, but it will allow us to establish the gap that we need to close down over those winter months.”
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