‘No bouncing but too early to commit to design philosophy’

Mercedes say it is “too early” to commit to their zero-pod design despite making a “good step forward” in the Spanish Grand Prix practice sessions.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were second and third quickest in Friday’s practice at the Barcelona circuit, probably the team’s best Friday of this season.

But while Miami was also good, their performance on the Saturday went in the wrong direction.

There was no repeat of that in Spain, instead both drivers finished FP3 inside the top ten with Russell third and Hamilton P4.

The performance gains have been attributed to Mercedes’ latest upgrades, the team arriving for round six of the championship with a new floor, front wing endplates and rear corner endplates.

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A look at the new Miami layout

The combination seemed to eradicate the porpoising that has cost the team dearly this season.

Bouncing more than their rivals, and at slower speeds, Mercedes have had to adopt a higher ride height to minimise that, which has cost them downforce.

In Spain, now that the porpoising is under control, the car was notably closer to the ground.

A few Friday favs pic.twitter.com/lZlAPERdQt

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 20, 2022

“We felt like we made a good step