Mercedes Faces ‘Pit Lane Start Penalty’ Risk
Mercedes could face a pit lane start penalty if their drivers become involved in another major incident. The team has used both of its night work allowances this season, with Formula 1 teams permitted only two such allowances. As of the Mexico Grand Prix, Mercedes had already utilized both, with the first being during the Hungary weekend when they were dissatisfied with the car’s balance.
George Russell suffered a 35G crash during the second practice session at the Mexico GP, necessitating a new chassis for the W15. Consequently, the Mercedes team worked overnight to repair Russell’s car.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ track engineering director, commented, “We worked late into the night to fix George’s car in Mexico, and we used up one of our allowances.” He added, “The team worked until the early hours of the morning, went to sleep for a few hours, and then came back.” Shovlin emphasized, “We are only allowed to do this twice a year. This was the second time, so we won’t have such a luxury for the rest of the season.”
Shovlin on Team’s Efforts and Future Strategy
“Honestly, the team did an amazing job. A chassis change really starts from scratch, but both teams contributed a lot. This way, you can achieve the nearly impossible overnight, even in just a few hours,” said Shovlin.
Mercedes does not want their cars to have a significant crash during the remaining four races, as working late into the night again would result in both cars receiving penalties. To avoid this, Shovlin announced that the team would forgo track time in the third practice session instead of working overnight on the car.
Shovlin explained, “If we have to do this again on another Friday night, both cars will start from the pit lane.” He added, “I hope we don’t face such a situation, but if we do, the car won’t be ready for the third practice. Therefore, we will do as much work as we can in that session.”
