Mercedes bemused why it was “rubbish” through high-speed corners in Dutch GP

Mercedes' engineers were puzzled by the team's underperformance on high-speed corners during the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix. After a strong start with George Russell winning the sprint race, Mercedes dropped behind McLaren's Lando Norris, who also secured victory. While the team still secured 2-3 in qualifying and the race, with Kimi Antelmi edging out team-mate Russell, Mercedes was unsure why their early pace didn't translate into the later stages.

Motorsport photo Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' trackside engineering director, stated on the Nu Silver Arrows Radio Show, "We've got a few things on the performance side to try and dig into." Shovlin mentioned that there were specific corners, like Turns 7, 8, and 9, where Mercedes was "pretty rubbish," and the tires on the left-hand side of the car also faced difficulties.

He added that they were struggling to understand the cause of the issue, noting that they only had a few ideas. The lack of changes made to the cars between the sprint race and grand prix, as well as during the race itself, added to Mercedes' confusion. Shovlin highlighted that both drivers reported different perceptions of the car's balance, which could explain the variation in performance.

Despite the head-scratching, Mercedes managed a strong points score, finishing 2nd in the team standings for the season.