Mercedes: To be quicker than Max Verstappen was a bit unexpected

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin was surprised by the pace of their cars against Max Verstappen.

The British engineer hailed Lewis Hamilton's recovery drive while he felt George Russell displayed an impressive skill set. Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, Shovlin said:

"That was really all we could have possibly hoped for and to be quicker than Max there was a bit unexpected to be honest. I think a lot of that was down to the medium tyres to be honest and a great recovery drive from Lewis."

Surprised by their pace in the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP Sprint, the Mercedes engineer revealed they did not expect to be quicker than Max Verstappen and his Red Bull.

The Dutchman’s team made a poor choice of selecting tires by putting him on the mediums. This mistake by Red Bull made the reigning champion a casualty to the surging Mercedes cars.

The feisty battle between Russell and Verstappen was one of the highlights of the sprint race, while Hamilton managed to surge to P3 from eighth place on the grid. Shovlin hailed Hamilton’s recovery drive and felt Russell proved he had the skills to deliver when it mattered.

Praising Russell and his skill set, Shovlin said:

"We know that George knows how to race, he is very smart behind the wheel and it was nice today to give him a car where he could show what he could do right at the front. Really impressive drive by him."

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Mercedes believes weather will be tricky at the 2022 F1 Brazilian GP

Glad to lock out the front row after a long period and for the first time in the 2022 season, Mercedes trackside engineer Andrew Shovlin felt that they had an edge over Ferrari at the Interlagos circuit.

The British engineer feels the weather could change the racing conditions for the main race in Brazil but believes the upgrade on their car from Austin has worked and delivered well.

Evaluating their overall performance and looking ahead to the main race in Sao Paulo, Shovlin said:

"It has been a while since we have had a front row start but we are looking forward to it…I think we looked like we had a bit of an edge on Ferrari today."

He continued:

"The weather tomorrow might change the picture a bit but compared to earlier on in the season, it has been a lot of work to get here. But it does look like the upgrade we brought a few races ago has been working so that has been really rewarding."

With some rain predicted for the race, the weather could compromise the Silver Arrows squad a bit. While both Red Bull drivers have locked out the second row, a long race in Brazil could also make it difficult for Mercedes to retain the top two spots in the race.

But for Mercedes, as long as they finish ahead of Ferrari, they have a chance to leapfrog them for second place in the World Constructors' Championship with only one more race left on the 2022 calendar.