Mercedes has arguably dropped the ball in 2022. After having dominated the turbo-hybrid era of Formula 1 since 2014, the 2022 regulation overhaul has left the team far behind rivals Redbull. However, with the pedigree they have in their ranks, they realized there’s more than one way to win a race without a fast car.

At the Dutch Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was in with a chance to win his first race of the season. Given that Mercedes wasn’t the outright pace setter, it had to do this the strategy way.  It all unraveled, however, as Hamilton finished 4th and Verstappen won the race. Andrew Shovlin explained where it all went wrong.

Two questions come to the forefront. Why did the two Mercedes not box for Softs, and why was Russell pitted for the Softs during the Safety Car period and not Hamilton? According to Shovlin, on a set of 6 laps old Mediums, they thought track position was key, “At the time we gave Lewis a box opposite command”, which meant Verstappen pitting and Hamilton going on.

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“And that was what moved our cars from 2nd and 3rd position into 1st and 2nd.”. Talking about Russell’s pitstop under the Safety Car, Shovlin explained that Russell was seemingly losing grip on his tires. “We were able to stop him by virtue of a shorter delta time loss under a Safety Car. We couldn’t do the same with Lewis…he would’ve dropped behind Max.”

Regardless, Mercedes have pulled their socks up after last week’s disappointments. Shovlin also went on to explain this sudden emergence of pace within the W13 at the Dutch Grand Prix weekend.

Mercedes explain the sudden competitiveness in Zandvoort

Last week at Zandvoort, it felt like finally we could see that elusive 2022 Lewis Hamilton win. Bold strategy calls and a late Safety Car ruined Hamilton’s chances of victory. However, a silver lining for the Silver Arrows was the upturn in pace.

According to Shovlin, “We’ve just been developing the car…and as time has gone on we’ve been getting quicker and quicker.”. He went on to explain, “At Zandvoort, it was easier to get the car into the right window.”.

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It’s race week again! Can Mercedes carry their development streak to the Temple of Speed? Or was Zandvoort just a one-off stroke of luck?