F1 Q&A: Are Mercedes back and will we see an all-British podium?

Max Verstappen prevailed successful a tense, strategical conflict pinch Lando Norris to triumph nan Spanish Grand Prix connected Sunday.

Lewis Hamilton took his first podium decorativeness of nan twelvemonth for Mercedes successful third, up of George Russell, arsenic Britons vanished second, 3rd and fourth. Charles Leclerc was fifth, starring location Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz.

Austria is adjacent connected nan European triple-header list.

BBC Sport F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your questions aft nan title successful Barcelona.

Are Mercedes yet back? - Pinda

Not yet - but they are getting there. Mercedes started nan play still struggling pinch their car - it could beryllium balanced only successful 1 type of area astatine a time. If they sewage it moving successful slow-speed corners, it would person high-speed oversteer; if it was balanced successful high-speed, it had low-speed understeer.

But a bid of upgrades since nan Miami Grand Prix person transformed their performance. Over nan first first 5 races of nan year, Mercedes were nan 5th fastest car successful qualifying connected average, down Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin, 0.660 seconds disconnected nan pace. Over nan 2nd 5 races, that spread has travel down to 0.266 and they are adjacent to overtaking Ferrari arsenic nan 3rd fastest team.

The upgrades were caller bodywork successful Miami, a caller level successful Imola and a caller beforehand wing, which first only George Russell had successful Monaco and which has been connected some cars since Canada.

The helping has proved cardinal - since its introduction, nan car tin now beryllium balanced crossed a scope of area types.

And nan effect has been clear - Russell was connected rod position successful Canada and arguably could person won nan title had he made a mates less errors. And he led again successful Spain, albeit briefly. The squad person scored their first 2 podium positions this twelvemonth successful nan past 2 races.

There person been mendacious dawns before, but this looks for illustration Mercedes are yet connected nan correct track. It comes aft a awesome soul reorganisation, and an acceptance that until this twelvemonth they had not been moving successful nan correct measurement to get nan champion retired of nan caller rules.

Russell said aft Spain: "I'm assured we tin triumph races this twelvemonth now. We person led 2 races successful 2 weekends aft nan upgrades. We wouldn't person expended that astatine nan opening of nan season."

Team main Toto Wolff was much circumspect. "It's a logic to beryllium cautiously optimistic that we are person and capable to fight," he said.

What are Mercedes waiting for to denote Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2025? What if he doesn't execute successful F2 and there's nary replacement disposable immoderate more? - Juha

Mercedes squad main Toto Wolff addressed this mobility connected Sunday aft nan Spanish Grand Prix. He said: "No driver determination has been made. I said we want to support this determination arsenic agelong arsenic possible. Because who knows what happens?"

It was an reply that astatine nan aforesaid clip said not very overmuch and an atrocious lot.

Wolff has nary request to unreserved into confirming Antonelli - because Antonelli is not going anywhere. He is simply a Mercedes-contracted young driver and Wolff tin deploy him adjacent twelvemonth if he wants to, whenever he wants to.

At nan moment, that’s nan guidance of travel. Alongside Antonelli’s debut Formula 2 season, nan 17-year-old Italian is doing a batch of miles successful tests successful older Mercedes cars to get him prepared for an F1 debut.

That debut could travel pinch Williams astatine immoderate constituent this year, successful spot of Logan Sargeant and successful mentation for 2025. Or it mightiness hold until adjacent twelvemonth pinch Mercedes.

Why is Wolff keeping nan doorway open? Because his number-one target is Max Verstappen. Mercedes recognise that it is improbable they will beryllium capable to pull nan world champion astatine nan extremity of this twelvemonth - though you ne'er cognize - but they are hopeful they tin seduce him to subordinate them for 2026.

Wolff ducked questions astir Verstappen successful Spain, saying: "No talks are taking spot and we request to look connected ourselves and improving nan car."

Of course, that does not norm retired nan anticipation that talks person already taken spot - and they person - aliases that they mightiness again - arsenic they astir apt will.

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Lando Norris are each coming good. What are nan chances of 3 Brits being connected nan podium together? Ever happened before? - Richard

With 3 British drivers successful nan apical 4 teams successful F1 astatine nan moment, location has to beryllium a decent chance of each 3 of them ending up connected nan podium together astatine immoderate point.

Of course, it's intolerable to opportunity definitively what nan chances of that happening are, and they dangle to a ample grade connected Max Verstappen. He is F1's benchmark. He is operating astatine an incredibly precocious level, and he is very reliable to beat. But if he hits problem successful a title successful which McLaren and Mercedes are nan adjacent 2 fastest cars, past why not?

Has location ever been an all-British podium? Yes, a number of times. Don't hide that for a play successful nan 1960s, location was a peculiarly aureate play for British drivers pinch Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill and John Surtees.

I judge nan past clip it happened was astatine nan 1968 US Grand Prix astatine Watkins Glen, which Stewart's Matra won from Hill's Lotus and Surtees successful a Honda. I'm happy to beryllium corrected, though, if personification tin find a much caller occasion.

Despite winning a race, Esteban Ocon has ne'er really lit up F1 and isn't spoken astir successful nan aforesaid activity arsenic others. Is his clip successful F1 up? - Duane

Esteban Ocon and Alpine person already announced they will beryllium parting ways astatine nan extremity of this play aft 5 years together.

The Frenchman has links pinch Mercedes but his hopes of retaining a spot connected nan grid adjacent twelvemonth remainder connected nan remaining vacancies astatine Haas, Williams and Sauber/Audi.

There is 1 spot disposable astatine each of Williams and Sauber, wherever Alex Albon and Nico Hulkenberg are already nether statement respectively. Haas theoretically person 2 seats unfastened but really it's only one, arsenic Briton Oliver Bearman is expected to get a imperishable thrust aft he starred connected his debut arsenic a sub for Carlos Sainz astatine Ferrari successful Saudi Arabia earlier this year.

Sainz is nan logjam successful nan driver market. Once he decides, nan remaining drivers tin slot into place.

Logan Sargeant's F1 profession looks over. Of nan remainder - Ocon, Valtteri Bottas, Kevin Magnussen and Zhou Guanyu - astatine slightest 1 and perchance much is apt to suffer out. It remains to beryllium seen who that will be.

Of nan teams nearer nan backmost (ie Williams, Sauber, Haas and RB), which do you deliberation has nan champion short (one year) and semipermanent prospects? - Liam

On paper, you'd opportunity it should beryllium Sauber, arsenic they are turning into nan Audi useful squad successful 2026 and should person each nan assets basal to go front-line contenders.

But thing is simply a fixed successful F1 and manufacturers don't ever win - arsenic Toyota proved successful nan 2000s. For each its monolithic budget, it ne'er won a race. Alpine/Renault has proved nan aforesaid - albeit connected a little than apical fund - since 2016.

Williams person a scheme and ambition to move up nan grid. It's acold little clear that either is nan lawsuit for RB and Haas successful their existent forms.

Alpine are successful complete freefall this season. What's gone incorrect location and do Renault person nan will to make them a winning unit again? - David

It's existent that Alpine person been done immoderate sizeable turmoil successful nan past twelvemonth but I would disagree pinch nan thought that they are successful "complete freefall". In fact, they person made awesome advancement this year, albeit from a very debased starting point.

They person decidedly plumbed immoderate depths successful caller times. First, they mismanaged nan driver marketplace horrendously successful 2022, and mislaid some Fernando Alonso and Oscar Piastri.

Since then, erstwhile main executive Laurent Rossi - who was yet responsibly for losing Alonso and Piastri - has been fired. And Alpine person besides mislaid a squad main and a sporting head (who were some fired), and a method director, main method officer, caput of aerodynamics and engineering advisor (who each resigned).

But location are positives. They person signed David Sanchez, formerly of McLaren and Ferrari, and highly regarded, arsenic executive method director. And now they person recruited Flavio Briatore arsenic an executive adviser. Whatever you deliberation of Briatore's chequered history, fewer uncertainty his expertise successful F1.

Meanwhile, connected way things are looking up. Alpine had a unspeakable commencement to nan play - they were nan slowest squad of each connected mean qualifying gait complete nan first 5 races. But successful nan 2nd 5 they were sixth - and person reduced their spread to nan beforehand from 1.715 seconds to 0.793. That's awesome progress.

On apical of that, they person scored points astatine some nan past 2 races.

It remains a truth that they are a agelong measurement from wherever they want to be, and a agelong measurement from wherever they were conscionable 2 years ago.

Renault main executive serviceman Luca de Meo is questioning everything successful his attempts to move nan squad astir - moreover whether they should wantonness their in-house motor task and go a customer team.

That sounds bonkers to galore connected nan look of it. But astatine slightest it shows a willingness from De Meo to re-evaluate from apical to bottommost to effort to get backmost to wherever they want to be.

Refuelling made racing much breathtaking owed to strategy. Do you deliberation it would ever beryllium reintroduced? - Rizwan

Did refuelling really make F1 much exciting? Statistically, nan refuelling era of 1994-2009 had nan slightest on-track overtakes of immoderate play of modern F1.

Along pinch nan disbursal and danger, that's why it was dropped for 2010.

There is nary appetite successful F1 to bring it backmost - for each those reasons.