Mercedes: no major upgrades for several more races
Mercedes will not immediately respond to the significant upgrade package Ferrari introduced in Barcelona. While the Silver Arrows will bring a handful of minor developments to the Austrian Grand Prix, the next major package for the W17 is still several weeks away. In fact, the Brackley-based team is using the extra time to further refine its original development plans while gaining a better understanding of the current car’s limitations, some of which now appear to be linked to specific types of circuit surfaces.
Mercedes’ development plans
Only small aerodynamic updates will be introduced in Austria, with nothing expected to dramatically change the W17’s performance. Kimi Antonelli described the modifications as “very minor”, while confirming that a much larger upgrade package is already in development.
“I think we’ll bring a bigger package in a couple of races. There will be something both aerodynamically and mechanically, but I don’t know exactly what it will include yet. The team is pushing to bring more than originally planned, but I’ll have a clearer picture once we get closer to the race.”
The package currently being developed in Brackley is particularly significant because it is the first one on which Antonelli has been able to provide direct development feedback. After the Miami Grand Prix, the Italian driver met with several engineers and, for the first time, shared detailed input on how he wanted the car’s behaviour to evolve. His comments suggest, however, that the new package is unlikely to arrive before the back-to-back races at Spa-Francorchamps and Budapest during the second half of July.
The most important update Mercedes will introduce in Austria will actually be hidden beneath the bodywork. The W17 will race with a strengthened battery package featuring both hardware and software improvements aimed exclusively at increasing reliability after the electrical issues that affected previous race weekends.
The W17’s biggest weaknesses
Until the larger development package arrives, Mercedes will have to manage the limitations of its current car, particularly on certain types of circuits. Antonelli explained that the W17 appears to struggle on tracks with older asphalt or naturally low grip levels.
“We seem to struggle a bit on circuits with old asphalt or where there’s very little grip. For example, we found Miami and Barcelona a bit more difficult. We were still competitive there, but perhaps not as strong as we were on some of the other tracks.”
Those characteristics are closely linked to tyre behaviour. Older asphalt is generally rougher, causing the tyres to deform more and generate higher temperatures. Conversely, on low-grip circuits the challenge is producing enough energy to bring the tyres into their optimal operating window, exactly as Mercedes experienced in Miami. Engineers at Brackley are working to improve the W17’s performance in both scenarios, but Toto Wolff’s team will need to remain patient before its next major aerodynamic and mechanical package is finally ready to hit the track.
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