Former F1 driver and current Sky Sports pundit Martin Brundle believes Mercedes‘ performance at the Miami Grand Prix was their most concerning of the 2022 season.
The Silver Arrows looked set for their best weekend of the season when George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished first and fourth in FP2.
Unfortunately for Mercedes, that performance proved to be a false dawn, as the pair failed to replicate that pace over the rest of the weekend, eventually settling for fifth and sixth on raceday.
Brundle believes Mercedes‘ lack of answers as to where that pace went should be a concern for the team, as they simply can’t find the right setup for the F1 W13.
“Mercedes were once again the third-best team but in many ways I think it was their most concerning weekend given that George Russell was fastest on Friday and struggled for pace thereafter and the team simply didn’t know why,” Brundle wrote in his column for Sky Sports.
“They’ve talked about ‘diva’ cars before but this one is just a plain mystery with a knife-edge window of set-up.
“There’s a good car in there somewhere, it’s just so well hidden.”
More frustration for Hamilton
It was another disappointing weekend for Hamilton, who lost out on fifth after Mercedes opted keep him on track during a late Safety Car.
That left the seven-time World Champions vulnerable to Russell, who did pit for fresh rubber, with Brundle noting there was some uncharacteristic indecision from Hamilton’s team.
“Lewis wasn’t lucky with the Safety Car again and on his side of the garage there was indecision rather than the usual masterly strategy we’ve become used to these past few years,” Brundle wrote.
“It’s a tough time and eager George, with most of his career still ahead of him, is coping better with the situation than Lewis judging by radio transmissions.
“If the car was a match for Ferrari and Red Bull you could reasonably argue that Mercedes have the best driver combination on the grid.”
