P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has outlined a critical alteration to the W16 for the Hungarian Grand Prix, something that should help Kimi Antonelli in particular.
Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has clarified the team’s decision to go back to its pre-Imola suspension setup for the Hungarian Grand Prix, aiming to improve their recent performance decline. Both Kimi Antonelli and George Russell have faced challenges in the European races, impacting their confidence and results. The team found it an “inconvenient” truth that their successful Canadian Grand Prix run was an exception with the new suspension, compared to struggles at recent high-speed tracks like Red Bull Ring and Spa-Francorchamps. Shovlin mentioned that getting to this decision took longer due to wet races affecting data collection, highlighting the importance of reverting to the previous configuration for stability. This change is seen as the logical step to address the drivers’ feedback and work towards regaining the desired performance level.
