Elliott: We were slower than Aston Martin and Ferrari in Baku

Mercedes Chief Technical Officer Mike Elliott summed up the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by answering questions from fans.

Q: Did the team have technical innovations on stage in Baku?
Mike Elliott: We try to bring updates to each race when possible. This weekend we had a new rear wing endplate and some new brake cooling elements to improve cooling efficiency as this is an important factor at the Baku circuit. In addition, we brought in modified suspension mounts and modified the deflectors slightly. All of these components are regular upgrades for the current phase of the season.

Question: Has the updated weekend format made it more difficult to choose the optimal settings? What does the team think of this format?
Mike Elliott: As for the settings, it was quite difficult, because we only had one hour of training available. Adding to the complexity was the fact that the track was being repaved and we needed to understand how the new coating affects the tires as the effect may be different than expected.

Because of this, Lewis and George were working with different settings, but we couldn’t get Lewis out on track in time. This made it very difficult to compare these two institutions. The team is still not quite sure if we chose the right settings or not. But everything is on an equal footing – all teams had to overcome the same difficulties, everyone had an hour to make decisions.

As for the format itself, we need to find answers to several questions: Was the weekend exciting? Is this what people want to see? We want to hear the fans’ answers, whether they liked the format or not.

Q: If you had a pit stop for Lewis Hamilton during the safety car, would he have a chance at the podium?
Mike Elliott: If you watched the race, you could see that Lewis was unlucky. It is very difficult and sometimes impossible to predict when the safety car will go out on track. Lewis lost due to the safety car leaving the track after his pit stop.

Had we pitted Lewis with the safety car in place, he would have returned to the track behind two Red Bull drivers and two Ferrari drivers. Maybe we can overtake Carlos Sainz, as Fernando Alonso did from this position, but it would be difficult to get on the podium.

In the race we saw that overtaking without a big speed difference is very difficult so, as I said, it would be difficult to get on the podium, but Lewis could finish in a higher position.

Q: Could Lewis and George have gone faster if they hadn’t gotten stuck behind Sainz and Lance Stroll?
Mike Elliott: This question is rather difficult to answer. Getting behind another car gives you a speed advantage on the straights through DRS, but in the corners you lose downforce and slow down.

In Baku, our cars skidded a bit in the corners, which led to overheating of the tires, so it was difficult to keep close behind the opponent coming out of the corners, which is necessary to exploit the speed advantage on the straight to DRS.

Our drivers tried their best to get the most out of the tires and made numerous overtaking attempts, but no matter how hard they tried, the car simply didn’t have enough speed to move forward.

Q: What did Lewis mean when he asked for more power on the radio?
Mike Elliott: Firstly, the regulations say that the engine settings cannot be changed after qualifying for the race. Thus, the power of the internal combustion engine remains unchanged – as much as there is, as much as there is.

But we can influence the power of the electrical component of the power plant. During a normal lap, the power delivered to the wheels by the electric drivetrain is optimally adjusted throughout the lap. However, the rider can change this with settings on the handlebars to use electrical energy for defense or attack.

Lewis even asked us for advice on which settings to choose to get the most electrical energy to increase the chance of a successful attack.

Q: Does the Miami circuit suit your car? Will Mercedes be able to compete with Ferrari and Aston Martin?
Mike Elliott: It is always very difficult to answer such questions because the cars of different teams are very close to each other in terms of speed. In Melbourne we seemed a little faster than Aston Martin and Ferrari, and a little slower in Baku.

When we talk about the configuration of the circuit in Miami, it is a bit reminiscent of Melbourne. You might think this is good for us, and it is. However, in both Miami and Baku, the asphalt has shifted, so before we leave the track we will not know how to optimize the settings and at what level we will be in relation to our rivals. In a sense, we have no choice but to be patient.