Mercedes optimistic after Spanish GP, plan further upgrades

In Barcelona, Mercedes managed to secure a podium finish for the second race in a row. Lewis Hamilton finished third, marking his first podium of the season, while his teammate George Russell followed closely in fourth place.

These results come on the back of recent development efforts that have significantly boosted Mercedes' confidence in their W15 challenger.

The team believes they are finally beginning to understand and optimise the car's performance, which has been a source of trouble earlier in the season.

Looking ahead, Mercedes has teased the introduction of more upgrades, aiming to continue their upward trajectory and competitiveness in the races to come.

"Before going to Barcelona, we were asking the question, was it a specific of the Montreal circuit that meant that George was able to get pole position and we were racing so well there," Mercedes' trackside performance director Andrew Shovlin said in the team's latest post-race debrief video.

"Montreal is unusual. It's a lot of slow speed corners and it was also cold there. So generating temperature was actually a challenge.

"Barcelona, it's a lot warmer, there's a lot more high speed, a lot more energy. And it's a track that's a good indication of the strengths and weakness of a car.

"So for us, very encouraging to see that we were quick enough to get on the podium there. We didn't benefit from anyone else's misfortune.

"So clearly, yes, the car's working well. But what we also know is we need to keep delivering these updates and we're working hard to do that because that gap has been coming down and down.

"Hopefully we can continue to shrink it and hopefully get to a point where we can fight for wins.

"To see both drivers on the podium in the last two events, that's a sign of the progress that we've made with all the hard work back at the factory. But we want more, we want to do better than third places.

"So we're working hard, but we've got plans and we've got parts coming and hopefully that will all come to fruition."