Ernest Knoors, a former Ferrari engineer, has described Mercedes as ‘silent assassins’ in Formula 1, noting their ability to strategically climb up the race order.
During the Italian Grand Prix, George Russell and Lewis Hamilton secured fifth and sixth places for the team, solidifying their position in the constructors’ world championship, despite a noticeable lack of race pace.
Russell’s exceptional qualifying performance on Saturday positioned him on the second row and in contention for a podium finish at Monza.
However, it was evident right from the race’s beginning that both Red Bull and Ferrari outperformed Mercedes. Max Verstappen achieved a historic tenth consecutive Formula 1 race victory.
Nevertheless, Mercedes’ commendable performance adds to their series of consistent showings, propelling them to second place in the championship standings.
In a post-race interview with Viaplay, Knoors lauded the team for their adeptness in optimizing the car’s performance.
“I think they are the silent assassins of Formula 1, in a good sense,” remarked Ernest Knoors
“You don’t expect them, and in the end they’re both back [up] there, and on different strategies with good racing they make it to fifth and sixth, and you do see that when you start looking at the Constructors’ World Championship rankings.”
Despite their dissatisfaction with the car’s performance, Mercedes can take some pride in surpassing the car’s capabilities this weekend.
The focus of the Silver Arrows now lies in preparing for the next season and providing seven-time world champion Hamilton with a competitive car to contend for the top prize once more.
Currently, they hope for an opportunity to secure at least one victory this season, aiming to break a streak of not winning a single race in a season since 2011.
