Mercedes Technical Director James Allison stated that the team was `stung` by their low points haul and reliability issues during the recent Formula 1 triple header.
The team scored only 18 points across the last three European rounds in Italy, Monaco, and Spain. This total was significantly lower than their main rivals – McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull – and even two points fewer than the sixth-placed Racing Bulls.
As a result, they lost second place in the Constructors` Championship to Ferrari for the first time this season.
Unusually, the team also suffered from car reliability issues.
Kimi Antonelli retired at Imola due to a throttle damper issue, while a power unit failure stopped him in Spain. George Russell`s Monaco weekend was hampered by a wiring loom problem in qualifying, leaving him 14th on the grid – a critical position at that circuit.
Ahead of this weekend`s Canadian Grand Prix, Allison noted that the mood within the team had been `a little reflective` during the brief break between races.
“I suppose from Barcelona, there were aspects of our approach to the weekend, as well as the car`s performance in very hot track conditions, that give us some optimism for the future,” Allison stated in Mercedes` latest race debrief video.
“But we are all quite stung by the retirements and having gone through a triple header where we didn`t score points at anything like the rate we did in the opening races of the year.”
“So, hopefully, things look good moving forward, but I wouldn`t want to experience those three races like that again.”
Reflecting on the triple header, Allison made a comparison to his favourite childhood book, `The World According to Garp`.
He explained, “The main character in that book, Garp, bought his first house because a light aircraft had crashed into it. He considered the house `pre-disastered,` meaning nothing bad would happen to it in the future.”
“So you could look at these triple headers – we have definitely been `pre-disastered` with unexpected retirements from very mature components where we would never have expected such a failure.”
“So with a bit of luck, we will have better fortune in the future.”
“But more seriously, I think the most important takeaway from these three races is that we got the first couple quite wrong in terms of how we set up the car.”
“We demanded too much from the rear axle, suffered significantly as a result, and approached Barcelona with a somewhat different mindset. On a track that would have destroyed our tires if we had attacked it like we did in Imola and Monaco, we actually performed a bit more like ourselves.”
“And so looking ahead and knowing that we can do more of that and lean further into that approach in the upcoming races, I think that is a positive sign.”
Indeed, considering their recent performance, Allison is optimistic that a visit to Montreal`s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve might be beneficial for the team at this time.
Russell secured pole position there last year and finished third after contending for victory in a chaotic, rain-affected race. Mercedes has consistently qualified at least one car in the top two rows of the grid in their last 11 visits to the Montreal circuit.
When asked if cooler temperatures in Montreal could favor their strengths, Allison replied, “Well, that might work in our favor, of course, if it is cooler.”
“But I believe that more important than the absolute temperature is simply the different nature of the challenge in Montreal. It`s a circuit with heavy braking, where it`s relatively harder to get the front and rear axles to the correct temperature relative to each other.”
“And it`s a track where we have generally found our rhythm quite well in the past. So I am looking forward to it. We have one or two new parts to bring, and we`ll see how we perform.”
Antonelli `Knows He Has More to Find`
The triple header proved particularly disappointing for Antonelli, as the 18-year-old rookie failed to score any points.
While two of those races were ruined by technical failures on his car while he was running in the top 10, in Monaco, the Italian was never in contention after crashing in Q1.
Allison commented, “Kimi is young and full of youthful optimism, but I am absolutely certain that our failures during this period have taken a toll on Kimi along the way.”
“Two retirements, one due to a chassis issue, one due to a power unit problem, in just three races. That is quite a bitter pill to swallow.”
“Leaving that aside, and with Kimi reflecting on it himself, he will know that he still has more to find.”
“But within that, there has been a lot of very positive work with him, and he gained valuable experience racing on a very dynamic track like Barcelona, with track temperatures reaching nearly 50 degrees and having to manage soft tires in those conditions.”
“That is simply building his experience at a very rapid pace, and he was handling it quite well.”
Wesley Dunham 
Gilbert Pendleton