Mercedes would be "foolish" not to anticipate tyre problems in Spain

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin hopes the team can get on top of the Silverstone blistering problems in time for the Spanish Grand Prix but admits it would be "foolish" not to expect a repeat of the problems.

This weekend, temperatures at the Barcelona circuit are expected to match or exceed those seen at Silverstone for the 70th Anniversary race and although the Pirelli tyres for the upcoming weekend are the hardest compounds available, Shovlin anticipates it could be a second uncomfortable race on the bounce for the Silver Arrows.

Talking in a Mercedes debrief video, Shovlin explains: “I think we’d be foolish to say that we are not going to see this problem again and we are not going to see it in Spain.

"So, we need to be looking at solutions and if we can make good progress this week, in the next few days, try and understand exactly the nature of our problem and that’s why were we so much worse than the others, then I’d like to think we can get on top of it for Spain.

"But there’s no doubt Spain is going to be tough."

Looking further down the line, after a weekend off, Formula 1 heads to Spa Francorchamps for the Belgium Grand Prix.

Although not usually known for scorching temperatures, Shovlin explained how this circuit could also cause problems for Mercedes.

He added: "Spa after Spain, that’s another very high-energy circuit where you can get blistering. So, our focus in terms of performance is all about how can we get the tyres cooler, how can we avoid this problem.

"So, hopefully we won’t see it again, but I think Spain will be a good test of whether we have made the progress that we need to.”

Before you go...

McLaren boss predicts a return to one-stop strategies in Spain

Verstappen hopes to benefit from "unknowns" at postponed Spanish Grand Prix

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