Mercedes at the truce: Combative

Mercedes has had a decent but not outstanding start to the season. We could expect much more from the champions of last year. With George Russell replacing Valtteri Bottas alongside Lewis Hamilton, the team hopes to replicate last year’s performance. The two drivers have a good chemistry and could cause trouble for the top two in the second half of the season.

The best race

On the accounting side, Mercedes’ best race is in Hungary where the team earned 34 points. Hamilton finished second just ahead of his teammate Russell. These points are very valuable for the race for 2nd place, and maybe even for 1st place. Both drivers had a solid Grand Prix, and it was just a hair’s breadth away from seeing one of the two Mercedes cars win the race.

Neither of the two drivers has won a Grand Prix yet, but they are getting closer. With the last two thrilling Grand Prix races, they achieved two second places and two third places. Mercedes is becoming more consistent throughout the season and is becoming a threat to the top two teams.

The worst race

It was during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix that Mercedes achieved its lowest points total with just 11 points. In this second race of the season, Russell finished 5th and Hamilton 10th. Both drivers managed to bring back points in every race, making even the worst race not so mediocre after all.

During this same Grand Prix, in the qualifying session, we saw Hamilton in 16th position and Russell in 6th place. A not-so-great qualifying lap, especially for Hamilton who still managed to gain 6 positions during the Grand Prix.

A progress?

The team is quite consistent in its results and manages to always grab points during the Grand Prix races. In the last 3 races, the team still stood out and brought home a large number of points, with impressive performances from both drivers throughout these weekends. As the season progresses, Mercedes is therefore making progress and the second half of the season could bring some surprises in terms of the constructors’ standings, as the Scuderia Ferrari is not that far ahead.

Reliability compared to the rest of the field.

Mercedes is the team that has had the fewest retirements, with only one minor retirement at the British Grand Prix. The manufacturer is also the only one to have scored points in every Grand Prix. This reliability could be the team’s major strength in securing points against its competitors in the second half of the season.

Pilots’ duel

Lewis Hamilton has had a challenging start to the season. He finished 10th once and outside the points once in the first four races. Since then, he has been constantly making up ground and improving in the Grand Prix. He is scoring more and more points, and his individual ranking is improving. A good progression that promises for the second half of the season.

In terms of qualifications, it’s the same thing. We also see difficulties at the very beginning of the season before a progression and an increasingly significant consistency. A very good thing for him and his team.

On his side, Russell is having a strong start to the season. He is consistently achieving good results and scoring a significant number of points. He managed to finish in the top 5 in 12 out of the 13 Grand Prix races that have already taken place. One of the best overall results among all drivers.

In qualifying as well, we see an impressive consistency and a first pole position for him during the Grand Prix in Hungary. A great reward for him, who keeps improving and bringing in points for his team.

Between the two drivers, there isn’t really any conflict. They get along very well, but one can see that Russell is better than Hamilton this season. He is ranked higher and has obtained more points than his teammate. The question remains as to whether Russell will continue his momentum or if Hamilton will manage to raise his level even further.

“Position in the championship”

Mercedes is currently in 3rd place among the constructors. They complete the podium formed by Ferrari and Red Bull and are 30 points behind the second-placed team, Ferrari. Mercedes could take hold of this position in the upcoming Grand Prix races.