Formula 1 – Conclusion on Canadian GP: World Cup not over yet for Mercedes

While Mercedes is celebrating its association with Red Bull and Ferrari at the Canadian Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel is again grappling with his team’s strategic mistakes. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz is rapidly propelling himself into the number two role at Ferrari. Findings of the Canadian GP.

1. The World Cup isn’t over for Mercedes yet

As “the worst car I’ve ever driven here”, Lewis Hamilton described his impressions of Mercedes’ performance at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in practice on Friday. Almost two days later, the former world champion was third on the podium and couldn’t stop rave about the pace of his W13.

“After the whole fight with the car, third place is heavy, I didn’t expect it,” said the Briton after crossing the finish line. His team boss Toto Wolff saw it that way and called it a promising step in the right direction. “We have to be happy, we showed up on the track today. In the end we were the fastest, that’s good. This gives hope that another move may follow in the next few weeks.”

Because the Silver Arrow really presented itself at the same pace as Red Bull and Ferraris did for a long time. In the second stint, Hamilton and teammate George Russell were the fastest drivers in the entire field and posted one of the best times on the scoreboard. The form curve in Mercedes points sharply upward.

For the first time this season, he took two consecutive podium places (Russell was in Azerbaijan a week ago) – and at tracks that don’t really play into the traditional racing team’s cards at all. Both Baku and Montreal have slower corners and longer straights in their profiles, but Mercedes prefers more aerodynamically demanding courses, which include medium and fast corners with shorter top speed sections.

Mercedes still has its way

With Silverstone and Le Castellet, precisely such circuits are on the agenda for the coming weeks. If the race continues, Mercedes will not only be a candidate for individual race victories, but the world championships could change as well. Constance Monster is only 64 points behind Verstappen in Russell Fehrer’s ratings. If the Dutchman has a bad two or three races or has to retire due to technical problems, Russell can close the gap.

Especially since the Silver Arrow, unlike Red Bull and Ferrari, has not yet been a problem in terms of reliability. “It’s strange that both teams [Ferrari & Red Bull] The cars keep stopping. We are pleased with our durability,” Wolff said.

Anticipating what might happen in the coming weeks and months, the Mercedes team boss launched a post-race world championship debate and immediately put an end to any growing enthusiasm. “The train left long ago. But we want to win the race on our own. I think we can do that.”

But Red Bull has also noted the steady growth in performance of its longtime rival. The three-way fight between the Austrians, Ferrari and Mercedes is no longer out of the question, believes RB Motorsport boss Helmut Marko: “The whole thing can happen very quickly and you have to keep working. Mercedes has taken the big step.” The scale has taken hold. So these three brands at the forefront are pushed together.”