Mercedes came into the Dutch Grand Prix in good form after F1's summer break, with the Silver Arrows having won three of the four races before the break and finishing on the podium in six consecutive races.
That streak came to an end in Zandvoort, when Lewis Hamilton was shockingly eliminated from Q2 on Saturday, received a three-place grid penalty after the session, and could only manage eighth place despite a strong recovery drive to finish in the points.
Teammate George Russell, who started fourth, could only finish one place ahead of Hamilton.
Now Toto Wolff and Mercedes are hoping for a comeback in the 'Temple of Speed'.
“It was a disappointing weekend in Zandvoort and we just weren't able to perform to the level we had hoped for. Lewis had a strong race and was in the points but his progress was limited by losing a position in qualifying,” Wolff said at the team's media preview for the Italian Grand Prix. “George, meanwhile, suffered significant degradation and just didn't have the pace to fight for the top six.
“The team is already working hard analysing all the data to understand the cause. We have a chance to make up for it quickly at Monza, albeit in the short term,” Wolff added. “I am convinced we can make up for it, and it will be even quicker as it is a totally different circuit to Zandvoort and there have been some changes this year. We also need to understand the impact of the track resurfacing that has been carried out. Monza is always an attractive challenge for both teams and drivers and I am looking forward to it.”
As well as hoping to get back on track, Mercedes are also set to give young prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli his first taste of an F1 weekend. Antonelli is due to drive Russell's W15 in the first practice session on Friday and it is widely expected the team will announce that Antonelli will drive for Mercedes next season.
Wolff highlighted Antonelli's upcoming FP1 session.
“The Italian fans are passionate about racing so the atmosphere is always special and it will be even more so in FP1 when Kimi Antonelli will jump into George's car for the rookie session,” Wolff added. “Kimi has been with our junior programme since he was 12 years old so this is an exciting moment for him and for the team. He will enjoy the experience of driving in front of his home crowd and in turn they will be excited to see some new Italian talent in action on track.”
“We're looking forward to having Kimi out there racing the W15 on Friday morning and helping the team get the weekend off to a good start.”
