Experts expect 'ultimate Barcelona test' for Mercedes in upcoming Spanish Grand Prix

Mercedes' recent success at the Canadian Grand Prix, with George Russell clinching a podium, has sparked optimism within the team. However, former champion Damon Hill believes their progress needs the ultimate validation — the "Barcelona wind tunnel."

Despite Russell's podium finish and Lewis Hamilton's fourth place, Mercedes remains fourth in the Constructors' Championship. Hill, cautious about concluding, emphasized the importance of Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya in assessing Mercedes' advancements.

While speaking on the Sky F1 podcast, Hill expressed his observations about Mercedes' recent performance, especially praising the new front wing: “It seems amazing, doesn’t it? But it has been a long time since they had a car that looked anything like a car that they could campaign with, and the drivers were happy.”

“Lewis, notably, was very, very happy. It’s not the first time. He did say he was very happy in a few FP sessions and Fridays and stuff, and then it seemed to kind of fade away when it got to qualifying. But George did a great job with the car he had to get pole position. How long has it been since they had a pole at Mercedes? The car looked good on the track.”

“But it is an outlier track, Canada. To go with that [car] to Barcelona, which is the next race, that will be the ultimate test of their progress. Barcelona is just like a wind tunnel. It is pure aero, medium-to-high speed everywhere”, he further added. 

Naomi Schiff echoes the same!

Naomi Schiff, another pundit, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that Mercedes' direction seems to be yielding results. She mentioned that while the front wing plays a crucial role, it's the combination of changes interacting with the car that unlocks performance.

Both experts are intrigued to see Mercedes' performance in Spain. Schiff highlighted Barcelona's nature as a track that provides a good indication of overall car performance. "As Damon rightly says, Canada is an outlier and Barcelona has proven to be... a track that will give you a good indication of how the cars will perform at many other circuits," said Schiff.

With Barcelona set to host the next race, all eyes will be on Mercedes to see if their recent improvements hold up under the rigorous conditions of a high-downforce circuit, marking the ultimate test of their progress in the 2024 F1 championship.