Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be using different aerodynamic packages at the 2024 F1 Mexican GP, similar to their approach at the US GP the previous week.
This decision follows Russell’s crash in Austin and Mercedes’s limited availability of new upgrade parts.
During Q3 of the US GP qualifying, Russell lost control and crashed into the barriers, which caused problems for Mercedes as they had to rely on older components.
The team had only two sets of new upgrades, including a front wing, underbody, cooling inlet, wishbone panels, and engine cover.
Consequently, Russell’s car was reverted to the Singapore GP specifications.
Hamilton also faced difficulties; a yellow flag in qualifying led him to start from P17, and he later crashed out of the race.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, both drivers will utilize the same aerodynamic setups in Mexico as they did in Austin.
Russell will stick with the older specifications, while Hamilton will have the newer ones, including an updated sub-floor after his crash.
Mercedes is aiming to introduce new upgrades for the Brazilian GP, which follows the Mexican GP, ensuring that both drivers will have equal cars to compete with their rivals from McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commented on the crashes, attributing Hamilton’s spin to a car issue rather than driver error, and suggesting that Russell’s incident was due to pushing too hard.
He acknowledged that the new upgrade package has issues that need to be addressed.
In the drivers’ standings, Hamilton is sixth with 177 points, and Russell is seventh with 167 points.
Mercedes is currently fourth in the constructors’ championship with 344 points.
