In sport, there is an unwritten rule: winners celebrate, while those who lose are left searching for answers. That was certainly the case after Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix, where Mercedes found itself in the unusual position of having to explain a defeat rather than a victory.
The Brackley-based team endured a frustrating afternoon as Lewis Hamilton secured his first Formula 1 win with Ferrari. The seven-time world champion managed to defeat both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli despite adopting a three-stop strategy, while Mercedes committed to a two-stop approach with its drivers.
To make matters worse, Kimi Antonelli’s late retirement due to a technical problem delivered the final blow to a disappointing weekend, one that was only partially salvaged by George Russell’s podium finish.
Andrew Shovlin explains Mercedes’ strategy call
Reviewing the race and the contrasting strategic decisions taken by Ferrari and Mercedes, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin provided a detailed explanation of how the W17 unexpectedly lost control of the Grand Prix.
For much of the opening stint, George Russell appeared capable of managing the gap to Lewis Hamilton, and Mercedes felt its race was progressing according to plan.
“The first stint largely unfolded as expected,” Shovlin explained.
However, the race changed when Ferrari committed Lewis Hamilton to an aggressive three-stop strategy.
“Lewis stopped earlier and, because he was trying to recover ground, a three-stop strategy became more attractive for him. However, our simulations still indicated that a two-stop strategy was the optimal one. During the second stint, we didn’t have the pace to build a sufficient gap to Lewis that would have allowed George to cover his three-stop strategy, so we chose to stay with a two-stop strategy in order to maintain track position,” the Mercedes engineer said.
Russell and Antonelli battle proved costly
While discussing the defeat, Shovlin also pointed to an issue within Mercedes itself. He suggested that the lengthy battle between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli ultimately hurt both drivers and contributed to Ferrari’s successful comeback.
“Lewis’s pace during the third stint was very strong, while we lost some time in traffic with backmarkers and then even more because of the interactions between our two cars,” Shovlin admitted.
The internal fight disrupted Mercedes’ rhythm at a crucial stage of the race and reduced its ability to respond effectively to Ferrari’s alternative strategy.
Virtual Safety Car helped Hamilton seal victory
Andrew Shovlin also highlighted another key moment that worked in Ferrari’s favour: the timing of the Virtual Safety Car.
“When Lando Norris stopped on lap 35,” Andrew Shovlin concluded, “we had to react with both cars shortly afterwards, and that created the situation in which Lewis was able to benefit from the Virtual Safety Car and move into the lead, rather than having to complete an overtake on track.”
The Mercedes engineer stressed that the team now faces two important tasks before the next race weekend. The first is to understand exactly what caused the failure that forced Kimi Antonelli to retire, while the second is to identify areas where additional performance can be found.
“We will work hard to understand why Kimi’s car stopped and, equally, to understand where we can find a little more pace because, ultimately, we lacked the speed to control the race and that is what cost us the victory,” Shovlin said.
For Mercedes, the conclusion was clear. While strategy and circumstances played a role, the biggest issue in Barcelona was simply a lack of outright pace compared to Ferrari. Until that deficit is addressed, the Silver Arrows may continue to struggle against a Scuderia team that appears to have taken a major step forward in the 2026 Formula 1 title fight.
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