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Reverting to an older car package was the key to Mercedes’ improved pace at the Hungarian Grand Prix after a string of underwhelming performances, according to team principal Toto Wolff.
George Russell secured his sixth podium of the season with a strong third-place finish, passing early race leader Charles Leclerc in the closing laps at the Hungaroring.
His teammate, 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, claimed the final point in 10th place – his first top-10 result in four races.
The team had reverted to a previous suspension specification after determining that a May upgrade had introduced instability.
Although initially intended to address performance issues, the upgrade had unintended consequences that shook driver confidence and contributed to the team’s recent struggles.
“I think that we tried to solve a problem with an Imola upgrade,” Wolff said.
“It may not have solved the issue but instead let something else creep into the car – an instability that took confidence away from the drivers.
“It took us a few races to figure that out.”
Wolff admitted the team had been briefly misled by their Montreal win, which delayed their decision to revert to the old setup.
“We came to the conclusion it needs to go off – it went off, and the car is back to solid form,” he added.
The team boss was frank about the failed upgrade, noting that the newer rear axle will be ‘ending in a bin somewhere’.
“Upgrades are supposed to bring performance. But when they don’t correlate with what the simulations show, it’s a tough lesson,” he added.
Mercedes now hopes the regained stability will carry forward as they continue to chase McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari in the championship standings.
