Spanish GP Team Review: Mercedes

Even the McLarens proved too fierce for the Silver Arrows.

Winter testing showed us all that Mercedes were serious contenders this season. They continuously set unmatched lap times and their car looked strong, overall. One thing, however, that many people missed out on was that it was ‘winter’ testing.

Much like the last three years, the Brackley-based outfit have struggled with only one problem: tyres. The cars are quick on short stints, but given the setup of their car and the quick degradation of the tyres, the team tend to struggled after just 5-6 laps.

We’ve seen it for a while now and we saw it in Spain, too. Nico Rosberg grabbed pole position in Barcelona and he was followed by Lewis Hamilton, making this amongst the greatest achievements the team has had ever since their re-entry into the sport. A 1-2 isn’t an easy task for a team, and for a team of Mercedes’ calibre, many would doubt the outcome of the race.

But, as it turned out, the race proved terrible for the ‘Silver Arrows’. Rosberg finished 6th and Hamilton finished 12th rounding off a roller coaster weekend for the team.

Rosberg started the race well and in the initial stages, seemed to have the cars behind him where they were, but once the DRS wings got the nod, Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen usurped Rosberg from the top and took the race from then on.

Rosberg couldn’t keep up and eventually finished in 6th, behind the Red Bulls of Vettel and Mark Webber.

Hamilton, on the other hand, had an incredible race! So incredible that he went on the radio and said “I can’t go any slower!“

The Brit finished the race in 12th and was made mince meat of by the competition that was destined to finish mid-table.

The car took on some upgrades during the break, and many would’ve expected that the team would address the tyre issue, given that Ross Brawn, team principal, said it was their top priority. They have failed to do so and they suffered. Rosberg and Hamilton didn’t have the best of practice sessions after struggling with malfunctioning tyres. They did show promise in qualifying and given their straight-line speed, many would’ve expected them to capitalise on the long straight. Ironically, they both got overtook along the straights repeatedly, and that means that the car has more than one problem.

But, if there’s one thing we know about Ross Brawn and his team, it’s that they address their problems and sort out the discripancies as soon as possible. The team aren’t fully to blame for their tyre issues, as they’ve been supplied with poor tyres from Pirelli throughout.

However, the Mercs do remain optimistic as they head into Monaco for the next race. Their cars have been good in the Circuit de Monte Carlo and if they get pole position, they can go on to win the race.

Michael Schumacher did it last year with a far inferior car. Surely, Lewis and Nico will be up for the challenge.