Ex-Formula 1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes Mercedes’ new concept is showing “immediate results”, following races in Monaco and Spain.
Following the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced their eagerly awaited new concept at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Hamilton in particular was instantly delighted with the new concept and informed the media how much he was loving the car.
Due to the nature of the Circuit de Monaco, it was relatively unknown whether the new concept had actually been a success, meaning the Spanish Grand Prix was going to be the first real indicator.
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Hamilton finished second at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya whilst Russell clinched third, after recovering from 12th on the grid.
The result marked Mercedes’ first double podium of the campaign, and their first overall since the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix.
The W14 looked very good, with Hamilton having comfortably been the second fastest driver.
Medium and high-speed corners appeared to be where the new concept was at its strongest, compared to Red Bull’s superior RB19.
Despite the strong result in Spain though, Palmer noted that the Silver Arrows have often been “strong” in Barcelona.
“They have significant upgrades on the car and on the face of it, it looks like they are yielding immediate results. However this has always been a strong Mercedes circuit,” Palmer said on his column on the official Formula 1 website.
Mercedes’ 2-3 finish in Spain saw the side overtake Aston Martin in the Constructors’ Championship, promoting them to second.
However, they remain comfortably behind Red Bull in terms of the championship and in terms of performance.
Despite the new concept, Hamilton finished 24 seconds behind Max Verstappen in Barcelona, whilst Mercedes sit 135 points behind the Austrians.
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Palmer believes the gap between the Brackley-based team and Red Bull “remains large”, with the Germans having also benefited from Aston Martin and Ferrari having an off-weekend at the Spanish GP.
“The gap to Red Bull and Max Verstappen remains large though and Mercedes were also flattered by their rivals under performing,” Palmer added.
This weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix is expected to be much more challenging for Mercedes, given how much they’ve struggled at circuits recently which boast low-speed corners.