Mercedes reveals plans for ‘larger’ British GP F1 upgrade

The German manufacturer has been encouraged by the step forward that has been delivered by the major update it first introduced at the Monaco Grand Prix. 

A revised floor, new sidepods and different front suspension has delivered podium finishes for Lewis Hamilton in the last two races, and he battled Fernando Alonso hard in Canada last weekend to come home third. 

But while encouraged by the improvements, Mercedes knows it needs to do more if it is to take the fight to Red Bull, which is why it is ready to unleash a package of developments prior to the summer break. 

Team principal Toto Wolff said that the British GP next month would be one of two races where the squad was aiming to deliver new parts. 

“We're bringing a larger one to Silverstone,” he said. “Then we should have another one before shutdown.  

“It's just that the learnings have accelerated a lot since we changed some of the conceptual architecture. There should be decent steps coming in the next four races.” 

Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

With Mercedes having got the development path it wanted from its Monaco upgrade, Wolff said that the speed by which the team was finding gains had ramped up considerably.

“I think we are understanding better the simulations, and that correlates with what we are seeing on track,” he explained. 

“That's been a problem over the last one and a half years. We are seeing good performance gains that are coming in the tunnel. We are seeing a better understanding of what the car needs in order to go fast and what the set-ups need to look like.  

“So generally, the steps are getting bigger now. I think we're making good inroads.” 

Mercedes 'encouraged' by Red Bull margin

But while Mercedes has made solid progress with its updated car so far, Wolff is well aware that there is still a way to go before it can properly challenge Red Bull. 

Max Verstappen’s victory margin in Canada last weekend was smaller than it has been at other races this year, lifting hopes that the battle at the front could be closing up. 

But Wolff is still cautious for now about the potential of his squad – even though it felt that Montreal would not suit its car well. 

“For us, we didn't expect to perform here in Canada, because how the car behaves at the moment is more with high-speed corners,” he said. 

“It's encouraging to be not so far away. But one must not forget that Max is cruising in the front. I don't think he's completely cruising, but he is still having an easier time in the front. I think there is margin, so there's quite a gap to catch up.” 

Asked if he felt that last weekend was the first time that Red Bull had appeared to be put under pressure at a normal track this year, Wolff replied: “No, no. I think that the margin is still too big to be really thinking that Max is under pressure. I don't know how much it [the advantage] was in this race, was it two tenths or so? But it was still far off.”