Mercedes commit to making changes after Lewis Hamilton and George Russell clash

09 June 2023 , 06:00

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Mercedes drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton make contact during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Mercedes will look at changes after Lewis Hamilton and George Russell's collision in Barcelona.

It was a great weekend overall for the Silver Arrows. They showed great pace on a track which suits their upgraded cars and secured their best result of the year so far.

Hamilton finished second after starting fourth while Russell charged through from 12th on the grid to stand on the podium with his team-mate. The result meant Mercedes leapfrogged Aston Martin into second place in the constructors' standings.

But there was one concerning moment during qualifying. Unaware that his team-mate was to his left, Russell forced Hamilton onto the grass and damaged his front wing.

While Hamilton called the move "dangerous" at the time, both played the incident down after the session. Nevertheless, it is something Mercedes are going to factor in as they figure out how to move forward.

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Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin admitted as much as he spoke about the incident. In a video released by the team, he was asked what the team will be doing to avoid a repeat performance in the future.

And he replied: "Put simply, the drivers were trying to find a car finishing a lap to get a slingshot starting the lap themselves. That would give them more straight-line speed and you can find around a tenth, maybe a little bit more, on the straight.

Andrew Shovlin explained what went wrong (Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team)

"That car that was finishing their lap then peels in and they can then conduct the rest of their lap in clear air. The issue, again put very simply, was that George and Lewis both tried to pick up [Carlos] Sainz as that slingshot.

"Lewis got on to the back of him around turn 10. As he then came around to start the lap, George was waiting because he knew that Sainz was coming, not realising that Lewis was just behind.

"Now, at the track in Barcelona, we were very keen to make sure we focused on the race itself, not to worry about what went wrong in qualifying. Now that we are back here at the factory though, we will sit down and look at how we need to change our communication to make sure that we don’t confuse the drivers by not giving them the whole picture."

Daniel Moxon