Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin didn't mince words after Zandvoort: the team was "rubbish" through the circuit's high-speed corners, particularly the Turn 7-8-9 sequence. The pace collapse baffled the squad — George Russell dominated the sprint weekend with pole and the win, but Lando Norris seized control when it counted, sweeping pole and victory in the grand prix. Mercedes salvaged 2-3 finishes in both qualifying and the race, with Kimi Antonelli beating Russell on Sunday to stretch his championship cushion to 59 points. What has engineers scratching their heads: Russell struggled early then found pace, Antonelli reversed the pattern, and the two reported opposite balance issues — understeer for Russell, oversteer for Antonelli — from nearly identical setups. Shovlin admits they've got no answer yet. With 46 points banked, Mercedes kept the season alive, but high-speed circuits ahead will expose whether this is a Zandvoort quirk or a deeper flaw.
Read the full story at Motorsport.comMERCEDES BEMUSED WHY IT WAS “RUBBISH” THROUGH HIGH-SPEED CORNERS IN DUTCH GP
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin didn't mince words after Zandvoort: the team was "rubbish" through the circuit's high-speed corners, particularly the Turn 7-8-9 sequence. The pace collapse baffled the squad — George Russell dominated the sprint weekend with pole and the win, but Lando Norris seized control when it counted, sweeping pole and victory in the grand prix. Mercedes salvaged 2-3 finishes in both qualifying and the race, with Kimi Antonelli beating Russell on Sunday to stretch his championship cushion to 59 points. What has engineers scratching their heads: Russell struggled early then found pace, Antonelli reversed the pattern, and the two reported opposite balance issues — understeer for Russell, oversteer for Antonelli — from nearly identical setups. Shovlin admits they've got no answer yet. With 46 points banked, Mercedes kept the season alive, but high-speed circuits ahead will expose whether this is a Zandvoort quirk or a deeper flaw.
