“It’s not over, till it’s over.’
These have been the phrases of Mercedes driver George Russell, as he spoke along with his group simply moments after taking the checkered flag on the Austrian Grand Prix in beautiful vogue. One is perhaps excused for believing there was some bewilderment behind Russell’s remark, given how the race stood simply minutes prior. Russell was operating in third, behind the climactic struggle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, however he saved himself in hanging distance, giving himself an opportunity to capitalize if one thing occurred on the entrance.
One thing did occur, a collision between Norris and Verstappen that ended the McLaren driver’s day and noticed Verstappen limp again to the pits with a puncture of his personal. The door was open for Russell, and the British driver barged by, capturing the second Grand Prix win of his Components 1 profession, and the primary for Mercedes this season.
“It was a tricky struggle on the market at first of the race,” mentioned Russell to David Coulthard trackside instantly following his beautiful victory. “The group has labored so arduous, we’ve made so many strides because the begin of the season. The final three races have been unbelievable, and there’s extra to return … what an thrilling time for us.”
Certainly it’s an thrilling time for the Silver Arrows. Mercedes struggled out of the gate this season, and arrived in Montreal for the Canadian Grand Prix just some quick weeks in the past languishing in fourth place within the F1 Constructors’ Championship standings.
They have been a staggering 180 factors behind first-place Pink Bull, and 156 factors behind Ferrari.
However then got here indicators of life. The primary indicators got here on the Canadian Grand Prix when Russell captured pole place, and whereas he couldn’t maintain off on the entrance of the race he secured the group’s first Grand Prix podium of the 12 months with a third-place end, to go along with a second place from Lewis Hamilton within the F1 Dash Race on the Chinese language Grand Prix. Hamilton matched Russell’s P3 with one in every of his personal in Barcelona.
Then got here Sunday.
With Russell’s win and a fourth-place end from Lewis Hamilton — together with their outcomes from Saturday’s F1 Dash Race — Mercedes banked one other 45 factors within the standings. Making them the most well liked group on the grid over these three race weekends.
Here’s what the groups on the high of the grid have performed over this era:
Pink Bull: 79
McLaren: 84
Ferrari: 39
Mercedes: 100
That has seen Mercedes minimize not solely into Pink Bull’s lead over them, however pull to inside 95 factors of Ferrari up in second place.
A shocking turnaround for the Silver Arrows.
“Unbelievable! That’s the one approach I can describe it. We had a tricky struggle within the early phases to ensure we held on to P3. That may show essential on the finish,” mentioned Norris within the group’s post-race report. “I may see that Max [Verstappen] and Lando [Norris] have been having a giant battle. We have been solely simply over ten seconds behind the pair of them, which is basically encouraging pace-wise.
“I knew there was a risk that they might come collectively, even when it was solely a slim likelihood. You must be there on the finish to choose up the items and that’s precisely the place we have been. I’m so proud to be again on the highest step of the rostrum.”
“It’s a nice feeling to get again on to the highest step of the rostrum. It’s a improbable reward for the arduous work and efforts of everybody at Brackley and Brixworth. We’ve got taken good steps ahead in current races, and we’re enthusiastic about what continues to be to return,” described Group Principal Toto Wolff. “We knew our outright tempo in the present day wouldn’t fairly be sufficient to problem for victory. We subsequently made certain we [maximized] our race and have been in a position to choose up the items, ought to something occur. We loved some luck however that’s motor racing.”
On the opposite aspect of the storage Hamilton — whose fourth-place end added one other 12 factors to that tally for the group — hailed the hassle these previous few weeks from your complete group.
“Congratulations to George and the group. Everybody at Brackley and Brixworth actually deserves this end result,” provided Hamilton. “They’ve labored so arduous to deliver efficiency to the automotive and we’re beginning to get us nearer and nearer to the very entrance. We put in a lot effort so to get a end result like this can be a well-deserved reward for everybody’s efforts.”
The grid now shifts house for Mercedes, for subsequent weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverstone. Whereas the struggle on the entrance — and the collision between Norris and Verstappen that opened the door for Russell within the first place — will possible dominate the headlines the surge from Mercedes is completely worthy of observe.
A 12 months in the past it was McLaren who pulled off a surge of their very own, rocketing up the Constructors’ Championship to in the end end fourth. Their turnaround confirmed its first indicators of life in Austria, the place Russell simply captured Mercedes’ first win of the season.
The Silver Arrows confirmed their very own indicators of a turnaround a couple of weeks sooner than that. So it is perhaps truthful to ask: Simply how excessive can Mercedes climb this 12 months?
