Mercedes did not come out on top during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, partly due to a strategy in sprint qualifying that later proved unnecessary. George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli drove with extra fuel in the car to allow for a second lap on the soft tyres should the first one fail. However, in hindsight, the team would not make that choice again, as acknowledged by trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin.
Unlike at the Australian GP last weekend, George Russell will not begin the Sprint from the second row of the grid, however, Andrea Kimi Antonelli made it through until the final session for the first time in his career. The Germans are not completely satisfied with their result, but optimistic ahead of the rest of the weekend, as Andrew Shovlin shared his verdict after the day has concluded.
Mercedes Chief of Trackside Engineering, Andrew Shovlin, comes to a hopeful conclusion after what might have been interpreted as a tough first Friday of the 2025 season for the Brackley-based outfit and signals their rivals that the German team can find more speed ahead of the relevant sessions of the Australian Grand Prix.
For the past three seasons Mercedes has not been a title contending team in Formula One, something they hope to be able to change with their 2025 car, the W16. Following the pre-season testing in Bahrain, George Russell, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Trackside Engineering Director, Andrew Shovlin outlined their goals ahead of the season opener in Australia in two-weeks time.
