Wolff reveals Mercedes' verdict on reverting to the previous rear suspension
With George Russell having secured his first podium since his triumph in Montreal, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff insisted that the German-British outfit has been left delighted with the decision to make a step back in technical terms.
Mercedes had looked to struggle for pace at the start of the Budapest weekend with their W16 that featured the previous-specification rear suspension.
However, George Russell went on to secure fourth place on the grid on Saturday, albeit his rookie team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli failed to qualify higher than P14.
At the start of the 70-lap Mogyoród race, Russell was opportunistic, picking off Lando Norris to run third. Although he had appeared to finish in fourth place, he managed to pick off Charles Leclerc after the Monegasue battled through technical issues. In the end, Russell finished third to claim his first podium finish since his dominant victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.
His team-mate Antonelli made up several positions at the start. The Bologna-born then committed himself to a one-stop strategy, and he racked up 48 laps on the same set of hards to finish tenth in Mogyoród, picking up a solitary point.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has revealed that the Brackley-based team was left delighted with its decision to revert to the previous-specification rear suspension
"This has been a positive weekend for the team here in Hungary. We reverted on the rear suspension specification and that helped provide a much more stable and balanced car for the drivers.
"They had more confidence in it and that was reflected in their pace. It was solid throughout and that helped George score a well-deserved podium and put Kimi in a position to hold off several cars for a point, despite being on nearly 50 lap old tyres.
Wolff continued: "This result and our overall performance here at the Hungaroring give us a direction for the rest of the season. As our focus turns to 2026, we won’t have any more major aerodynamic upgrades to bring to the track.
"Nevertheless, there are refinements we can make as we look to optimise the car we have. That will be useful as we look to end 2025 in a positive way and fight for second in the Constructors’ Championship over these final 10 races of the year."
