It’s a fun trivia quiz.
Which team has scored the most points over the last two F1 race weekends?
If you answered Mercedes, congratulations: you’ve been paying attention.
The Silver Arrows had a bit of a breakthrough in Montreal, when George Russell finished third, giving Mercedes their first Grand Prix podium of the season. They followed that up with an even better result in Barcelona last weekend, when Lewis Hamilton qualified third at the Spanish Grand Prix and took third place on Sunday, his first Grand Prix podium of the year. With Russell finishing just behind them in fourth place, Mercedes took 27 points in Barcelona, one week after scoring 28 points in Montreal.
Are the Silver Arrows back?
Maybe not yet, but they are certainly closing the gap to the teams at the front of the grid.
“It’s been a really great weekend. It’s been a while since I’ve been on the podium so I’m very happy! I’m not there yet but I’ve made great progress in recent races,” Hamilton praised in the team’s post-race report. “I didn’t have the pace to fight with the two in front of me but if I can get some more consistent results like this then I’ll be in a strong position. I’m on my way to catching up with them and that’s great.”
Russell may have made the best move of the race with a stunning double overtake of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen on the way to the first corner of the Grand Prix.
After the race, he reflected on his actions with a little history lesson.
“I was dreaming of doing the move I did in the first corner last night,” Russell said. “I never thought it would happen like this! Fernando [Alonso] 2013 started off in a similar way.“It was a headwind so I knew it was okay to brake quite late. It was a very satisfying move and it felt good to be leading the race again. Unfortunately Max (Verstappen) was just too quick today, as was Lando. But two podiums in two races is very encouraging heading into Austria.”
Russell’s overtake may have been the highlight of the race, but the battle and pass between Hamilton and Carlos Sainz Jr. was also worth noting.
Like Russell, Hamilton took a moment to relive the battle and the overtake.
“I was also happy with the move on Sainz, I gave him enough space and we both got through the corner,” Hamilton said. “It was an important move for my race so I’m glad I did it. Now I’m looking forward to heading to Austria.”
Their boss also praised these moves and the progress the team has made in recent weeks.
“There were a lot of positives to take from today. We’ve made big steps in the last few races and it’s good to confirm that in Spain,” said Wolff. “We’re not there yet and we still have a lot of work to do to catch up with those ahead of us. But we’re on a positive development trajectory and it’s good to be back racing again.”
“It was also fantastic to see two of the best overtakes I’ve seen in a long time. George got off to a great start and braked late to take the lead, while Lewis overtaking Sainz was a great race and a key moment for his race,” the Silver Arrows boss continued. “It’s been a while since Lewis has been on a Grand Prix podium, so it was great to see him on the podium. We’re now looking forward to the next two races of the triple-header and hope to build on the momentum we’re building.”
Mercedes will be looking to maintain their momentum in the short term as they head to the grid at the Red Bull Ring for this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, which will get underway quickly as it’s one of F1’s sprint race weekends on the calendar.
