Mercedes duo Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have revealed why the team is reverting to its old suspension for this weekend’s Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The German marque has struggled to assert itself at the front of the pack in recent races, having initially introduced the new package at the start of the European season.
A difficult weekend saw the Brackley-based squad ditch it for the next two rounds, before reintroducing it with success at Canada as Russell won, with Antonelli third.
It has remained on the W16 for every race since, but a tumultuous weekend last time out at Spa-Francorchamps has left the team to scrap it for a second time.
Antonelli revealed the switch and spoke of his hope that it will help get his season back on track, having not scored points since his maiden F1 podium in Montreal.
“I think this weekend we are going back on the old suspension and that hopefully will bring the feeling back,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“Because since we moved to that suspension, apart from Canada, I’ve been struggling to drive the car and getting the confidence.
“And probably also my side, I didn’t adapt the best because I was always trying to keep my style and to drive the car the way I wanted, but it didn’t really work out. And George, on the other hand, has been adapting better.
“Also he has a different driving style, but he’s been able to adapt a bit better. And I think that’s what’s been hurting me in this European season. So hopefully, by going back to that suspension, it will bring back a bit the feeling I had prior to the start of the European season.”
Russell indicated that a conversation with the team between Spa and Hungary was to take place, and it appears that the conclusion was to pivot to its original design.
When asked why it is dropping the suspension upgrade, Russell addressed that it was simply a performance-related change.
“Because it’s slower. It’s as simple as that,” he stated. “Kimi has struggled more than I have with the suspension, but my results have also been worse, collectively.
“These last six races have been the worst races of our season. At the start of the year, I had much more confidence.
“The laps were coming easy, whereas now it’s much more challenging. There are never guarantees, but I think that could be a small part.”
Mercedes suspension reversion ‘on the cards for a little while’
Russell explained that a potential switch back to the car’s original rear suspension had long been in discussions, saying “it’s been on the cards for a little while.”
Russell added that “it’s part of development”, explaining further: “We’ve seen it in other teams as well this season.
“They bring things to the car and you’re looking for that last sort of tenth of a second and you often see the gains.
“But before you put it on the car, you don’t know what the limitations are going to be. So there’s no guarantee that’s the reason why we’ve taken a step back.
“It could be a factor. We’ll use this weekend to assess. But if you just look at the results as a whole, we clearly have gone backwards and we need to go back to a baseline that we know.”
Russell further underlined how a reversion may not be the answer, but indicated the team has been content to make the change to see if their theories are correct, saying that “you can’t categorically say that is the reason,” adding: “Obviously, they are complex cars. We are obviously in the summer months where tyre overheating is worse in general.
“But, of course, Spa was cold and we struggled. Right now, we’ve got ideas, as most teams do, why they’re not winning the World Championship. That’s just the fact of the matter.”
“We’ll revert back. I don’t expect we’re going to set the world on fire this weekend.
“But I hope we can be back in that comfortable top-five mix and fight for some good points without stressing our Q1 and Q2 exits.”
READ MORE – Mercedes accepts blame for Kimi Antonelli’s recent F1 woes
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