Toto Talks Spain

We will be looking to get back on track in Barcelona this weekend. It is a circuit that provides a good test of a car, with a mixture of low, medium, and high-speed corners. That will be useful for assessing our recent updates and our position relative to our competitors as we move into the second third of the season.

With 16 races left, there is a long way to go. The team is still pushing to find performance and this weekend’s updated front wing technical directive will provide another level of intrigue. We are focused on ourselves though and looking forward to having the opportunity to do a better job than we have done at the last two races.

 

Fact File: Spanish Grand Prix

 

·         The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is an ideal track for testing an F1 car, as it has a wide range of corner types and speeds, plus some long straights. Slow-speed corners like Turns 5 and 10 focus on mechanical grip, but high-speed sections such as Turns 3 and 9 test a car’s aerodynamic grip.

·         Sector three is incredibly important and drivers can find a lot of lap time here in the slow corners. It can be rare for a driver to set three purple sectors at the circuit, because maximising grip and being faster in sector one will overheat the tyres for the crucial third sector.

·         The chicane in the final sector of the lap was removed for the 2023 race, reverting back to the previous track layout for the final two corners.

·         Most of the track’s low-speed turns are left-handers and most of the right-handers are taken at high speeds. So slightly different car set-ups can be used on the left and right-hand sides, and that track characteristic also means the left tyres wear out quicker, while the right tyres experience lower temperatures.

·         24 of the 34 races that have taken place at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya have been won from pole.

·         The start of the ground effect era at the start of 2022 presented a very different challenge for the drivers around the track. For example, the long Turn 3 is now taken at 225 km/h, compared to 240 km/h in 2021. The fast Turn 9 is now a 250 km/h right-hander, whereas in 2021 it was taken at around 265 km/h.

·         Barcelona is one of three tracks that George Russell has recorded two podium finishes at in Formula 1. Melbourne and Baku are the other two.

·         Barcelona first appeared on the calendar in 1991 and has hosted the Spanish Grand Prix in every season since.

·         Lewis Hamilton recorded his 100th pole position at the 2021 Spanish Grand Prix while driving for the team.

·         Lewis Hamilton holds the record for most consecutive wins at a Grand Prix circuit with five in Barcelona (2017-2021). He shares this record with Ayrton Senna and Monaco (1989-1993)

·         George triumphed at Barcelona in 2018 while driving in Formula 2. He shared the podium that day with future F1 drivers Lando Norris and Nyck de Vries.

·         Junior Driver Noah Strømsted continues his maiden FIA Formula 3 campaign in Barcelona, with the track set to host round five of the 2025 championship.

Junior Driver Noah Strømsted Talk Spain

 

Noah Strømsted

I am looking forward to Barcelona, it is a track I know very well. We did our pre-season test at the circuit this year, so we already have some experience with the car there.

It’s going to be very tight as every driver is familiar with the layout, but we will do our best to get some good points.

George Russell

Today was incredibly disappointing. I felt good in the car in Q1, and the team had done a fantastic job in turning it around after three difficult practice sessions. To not have the chance to show what was possible in Qualifying is both frustrating and a little heartbreaking. I believe we had a chance to get the car onto the front two rows of the grid. I had only used one set of the Soft tyres in Q1 and the Medium compound at the start of Q2 felt good. It was definitely coming towards us.

The issue itself was odd. I hit a bump on the run out of Turn 1 and lost power. It felt like something electronic just disconnected. I tried everything I could to get the car back to the garage and then restart it when I stopped in the tunnel. Unfortunately, there was nothing more we could do. Starting P14 tomorrow is obviously far from ideal. That is even more true in Monaco. It will be a struggle to score anything more than minor points but, with the two mandatory stops, let’s wait and see what happens.

 

Kimi Antonelli
I am gutted by how today's Qualifying session went. We are always close to the limit in Monaco and the line between getting it right and getting it wrong is thin. That is particularly true come Qualifying. I tried to find those missing tenths but ultimately had an unnecessary and costly mistake. I turned slightly earlier than usual in Turn 10 and clipped the barrier. I damaged the front, and I know there was nothing I could do from there and was a passenger into the barrier. I had enough pace to get through to the latter parts of Qualifying, so it was a costly error.

It is such a shame because we were coming back into a good place with the car and I was finding a good rhythm. We had struggled the entire weekend up to that point, but I kept improving lap after lap in Q1. I felt good in the car today and I can only say sorry to the team. Starting P14 tomorrow in Monaco means that we need to think differently. We did not expect to be starting this far back with both cars so tomorrow we will be looking to take any opportunities we can and chase all the positions possible.

 

Toto Wolff, CEO & Team Principal

Today was a difficult day and a very disappointing result - to finish P14 and P15 is a long way below our level. We were struggling for pace in practice and made some sizeable set-up changes going into Qualifying. For George in particular, this made the car come alive and he showed really strong pace to finish Q1 in the top five.

Unfortunately, it was a more difficult session for Kimi. He was right on the cut-off when he made a small mistake on the entry of the Nouvelle Chicane - but like always in Monaco, it had big consequences, and he finished in the barrier.

We therefore began Q2 with one car and George running the Medium tyre; he had found nearly one tenth of a second in the first corner when he suddenly lost power going up the hill to Massenet. We suspect an electrical fault, but the team is still working to track down the exact cause. As he came to a halt in the tunnel, and was unable to restart the car, it became clear that he would line up just ahead of Kimi in P14. It's all the more frustrating as George had the pace to fight for the front two rows today.

It goes without saying that it will be a long afternoon tomorrow - the mandatory two stops might open up more opportunities than usually happens in Monaco, but it won't be easy to make up places. Notwithstanding that, we will be giving it our all and racing hard to get the maximum from what has been a difficult weekend so far.

 

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

It is really disappointing to be this far down the grid with both of our cars for tomorrow’s race. We’ve been struggling the entire weekend with our single laps, and it has not been easy on our drivers. That has put them under a lot of pressure this weekend to deliver fast laps at the critical moments and that definitely contributed to Kimi’s incident. Drivers are always on the limit here in Monaco and a little mistake can cost a lot. That was certainly true on his side of the garage and that left him P15.

On George’s side, he was pleased with the progress we had made since the end of FP3. We had been making significant setup changes from FP1 through to Qualifying and it felt like we had found a good pace by the start of Q1. That allowed George to only use one set of Soft tyres in that segment and would have been beneficial in the latter parts of Qualifying. In Q2, we decided to go for the Medium tyres as they appeared to be quick as well. Our session came to an end shortly after with a loss of power after hitting a bump. We're investigating the cause of that, but it looks like an electrical issue.

Starting P14 and P15, we will review all the strategic options for tomorrow’s race overnight. We know that starting so far back that it won’t be an easy Grand Prix. The silver lining is that with the mandatory two stops regulation, it should afford us more flexibility and create more opportunities. It hopefully will increase our chances to make progress, and we will stand ready to take advantage.

 

Noah Strømsted, Mercedes Junior – FIA F3 

Starting P15 for today’s Sprint race was obviously not ideal. I knew it would be a struggle to get into the points, but I was determined to give it everything I could. I tried to make a move into Turn 1 to gain a place but hit the rear end of Brad (Benavides) and ended up with a puncture. We were left with no choice but to retire the car. Our eyes are now on tomorrow’s Feature race and hopefully we will have a better result.

League of Legends pro Jian Zìháo, rather known as “Uzi”, will be inducted as a new member of the Hall of Legends in 2025. With that, Uzi becomes the second member of the Hall of Legends, next to Korean superstar “Faker”. The Hall of Fame honours the best League of Legends esports players of all time. As a partner of Riot Games, Mercedes‑Benz is presenting the official ‘Winner Film’. Additionally, Mercedes‑Benz is showing great respect to Uzi by honouring him with a very special vehicle – a customised G‑Class with EQ Technology.

Celebrating his induction into the Hall of Legends, Uzi becomes the new owner of a one-of-a-kind G 580 with EQ Technology. Crafted through the Mercedes‑Benz customisation programme MANUFAKTUR, which enables customers a variety of exclusive options, the vehicle showcases exceptional craftsmanship and individuality. Hand-finished to the highest standards, it includes interior details such as the engraved Hall of Legends lettering. With the special paint finish MANUFAKTUR Kalahari gold magno, which embodies the style of the Hall of Legends, the electric G-Class is the first of its kind in China.

“Legends are not only recognised by their achievements, but also by the impact they leave behind. It is therefore an honour to celebrate Uzi's induction into the Hall of Legends with a very special vehicle, which shall be a steady companion as he moves forward on his individual path.”
Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Mercedes-Benz Digital & Communication, Mercedes-Benz AG

On top of that, Mercedes‑Benz crafted a very special artwork for Uzi: created in collaboration with a renowned design studio, the piece shows Uzi in his hometown of Shanghai next to his new electric G‑Class. True experts can even identify subtle hints about Uzi's career and life embedded as Easter eggs.

“With the Hall of Legends, we are celebrating exceptional careers, successes in the game, contributions to the community and also individual achievements. We are proud that Mercedes‑Benz is joining us in honouring Uzi in a very individual way - the vehicle and the artwork are characterised by attention to detail and a deep understanding of our culture.”
Chris Greeley, Global Head of League of Legends Esports at Riot Games

As the official automotive partner of Riot Games, Mercedes-Benz has been supporting all global League of Legends Esports events since 2020. In addition to the annual “MSI” and “Worlds” tournaments, Mercedes‑Benz has also been supporting the newly founded Hall of Legends, which honours League of Legends Esports icons since 2024.

George Russell

I am happy with P3 today. The car felt really strong out there and I know I could have done even better if I did not make a small mistake on my first lap of Q3. The team made a great call by choosing the Medium tyre for our second and final effort. Everything just came together on the lap, and I was able to put the tyres in the right window. There may have been a little more time out there, but I don’t think enough to challenge the two drivers ahead of us.

This circuit is one of the narrowest tracks on the calendar and it will be really tricky to overtake tomorrow. Fighting with the McLarens ahead will not be easy but we showed solid pace on our long runs in practice. If we’re able to perform in a similar manner in tomorrow’s race, then there is every possibility we can fight for the podium.

 

Kimi Antonelli
I am obviously a bit disappointed to qualify P13 for Sunday’s race. I really struggled to put everything together in my single laps on the Soft tyre and it just did not feel quite right. It was really tricky to get the tyres in the right window; I didn’t quite have enough grip, and I really struggled to get into a good rhythm.

It is a real challenge to overtake on this track so P13 is not ideal. From what we experienced in practice though, I know that our long runs are strong. Hopefully we can utilise that pace to make up some positions and get into the points. We will be looking for any opportunities that may fall our way too. If we can take advantage of them, then we can still have a good afternoon. It is a shame to end today outside of the top 10 but the atmosphere has still been incredible. We will work hard overnight and come back stronger tomorrow.

 

Bradley Lord, Team Representative

We have mixed feelings after today's qualifying session. George delivered a smooth session and a really impressive final lap on the Medium tyre to take P3; without a compromised outlap, and therefore cool tyres in the opening corners, he could have fought for pole. We went into qualifying thinking that the Medium was a possible Q3 tyre, and the Aston Martins' performance in Q2 confirmed it was the way to go, with George using it to great effect.

It was a more challenging session for Kimi. He never felt the grip he wanted from the tyres and was also losing a little on the straights owing to a slightly higher downforce setup than George - but not seeing the expected gains in the corners. It was a tough pill for him to swallow to qualify P13 at his first home race, but we always say that these difficult moments are the ones where we learn the most, and no doubt that will be true for Kimi today as well; this is all part of the learning curve in his first season. The silver lining is that his race pace was very strong in FP2, so we can expect him to gain positions from where he is starting.

Imola is traditionally a one-stop race, owing to the significant pitlane loss, but the softer tyre compounds this year mean that isn't a certainty in tomorrow's race. We will be running the simulations this evening to see where we have opportunities to move forward tomorrow, and the race will be a good gauge of how much progress we have made in managing the tyre temperatures on the long runs.

 

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director

It's obviously disappointing for Kimi that he didn't make it through to Q3 in Qualifying, but we'll look at why he's struggled for pace here more than at some of the recent tracks. He's not had the same confidence in the car that he had in Miami, but he at least had strong long run pace yesterday. Unfortunately, it's not an easy circuit to overtake at so we'll review all our options with the view to how we can get him into the points. We will stand ready to take advantage of any opportunities that come our way.

George fared somewhat better, eventually securing P3 on the grid. We decided to try the Medium compound for the final run of Qualifying as it was looking strong on the Aston Martins. It also seemed to be working pretty well for us, and George was able to find a couple of tenths improvement and gained a place in the process.

It's difficult to know how the race is going to pan out tomorrow. The tyres will need a fair bit of management to avoid overheating and there is also a high risk of incidents as the track is quite narrow and there are so many gravel traps. We'll be doing everything we can to stay in the fight for a podium.