Mercedes reveal how Aston Martin influenced their qualifying performance
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has revealed that Mercedes elected to send George Russell out on a set of mediums for his final push lap based on Aston Martin’s bold tyre strategy in Q2.
In final practice, George Russell complained about the setup of his W16, and he looked to struggle for one-lap performance. However, the Briton appeared to be more comfortable in his car in qualifying, and he did enough to make Q3 without taking any risks.
Replicating what Aston Martin did in Q2, Mercedes sent Russell out on a set of mediums in the final qualifying segment, and it worked a treat as he jumped the McLaren of Norris into P3.
His team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli finished at the lower end of the leaderboard on Friday, but he finally found his mojo in final practice. However, the Bologna-born driver struggled to get the best out of the C6 tyre, exiting in Q2 at his home track, and he will start today’s Imola round from P13 on the grid.
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin conceded that Antonelli has lacked confidence since the start of the weekend, but he expects an upturn in form from the 18-year-old in race trim.
"It's obviously disappointing for Kimi that he didn't make it through to Q3 in Qualifying, but we'll look at why he's struggled for pace here more than at some of the recent tracks. He's not had the same confidence in the car that he had in Miami, but he at least had strong long run pace yesterday.
“Unfortunately, it's not an easy circuit to overtake at so we'll review all our options with the view to how we can get him into the points. We will stand ready to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way.
Shovlin has revealed that Mercedes elected to send Russell out on a set of mediums based on Aston Martin’s bold tyre strategy in Q2.
"George fared somewhat better, eventually securing P3 on the grid. We decided to try the Medium compound for the final run of Qualifying as it was looking strong on the Aston Martins. It also seemed to be working pretty well for us, and George was able to find a couple of tenths improvement and gained a place in the process.
"It's difficult to know how the race is going to pan out tomorrow. The tyres will need a fair bit of management to avoid overheating and there is also a high risk of incidents as the track is quite narrow and there are so many gravel traps. We'll be doing everything we can to stay in the fight for a podium."
