Mercedes now ‘understand mistakes and can explain’ F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix disaster

Mercedes have pinpointed and now understand the “mistakes” that led to their shocking performance at the F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton could only finish eighth and George Russell retired when running outside of the points on a nightmare weekend for Mercedes at Interlagos – the scene of their last F1 victory 12 months ago.

After the race, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff initially suggested that running their car too high may have contributed to Hamilton and Russell’s balance struggles and extreme tyre degradation issues.

Wolff has now revealed that Mercedes have successfully identified the set-up error that led to “probably our most difficult weekend of the season”, though he did not divulge exact details.

“After promising performances in the US and Mexico, we didn’t perform at our best in Brazil,” Wolff said. 

“We have been hard at work to identify the wrong turn we took with the set-up; we have done that. We understand our mistakes and can explain our performance loss to the field. That’s important as we look to secure P2 in the Constructors’ Championship.”

With F1 heading to Las Vegas this weekend, Wolff remains wary about Mercedes being caught out by several unknown factors, including a brand new circuit and temperature concerns.

“In parallel, we have been preparing for the challenge of racing at a venue that is a complete unknown,” he added. 

“We have prepared the best we can, using the limited information we have, and there are some unique characteristics we can anticipate. The schedule is offset compared to other races.

“We’ll be running at night, where ambient and track temperatures will likely be in the single digits. Plus, the track layout itself is unusual with many slow corners but long straights.

“It’s going to be a big challenge for us all and we’re looking forward to taking it on.”