Former Ferrari engineer calls Mercedes 'silent assassins'
Former Ferrari engineer calls Mercedes 'silent assassins'
Former Ferrari engineer Ernest Knoors has said that Mercedes are 'silent assassins' who somehow just appear up the order in races.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton came home to take fifth and sixth for the team at the Italian Grand Prix, strengthening their position in second in the constructors' world championship, despite a clear lack of race pace.
Russell's phenomenal qualifying lap on Saturday put him up onto the second row, in with a chance of a podium at Monza.
But, from the start of the race it became clear that both Red Bull and Ferrari were far superior to the Mercedes, as Max Verstappen came home to take a record tenth consecutive Formula 1 race victory.
READ MORE: Final F1 2023 Italian Grand Prix results with all penalties applied
Still, Mercedes' solid showing was the latest in a long line of consistent performances which have seen them put themselves into second in the championship standings.
Now, speaking to Viaplay after the race, Knoors has praised the team for their ability to maximise the performance of the car.
"I think they are the silent assassins of Formula 1, in a good sense. 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."
Smiles at Mercedes
Despite not being happy with the performance of their car, Mercedes will afford themselves a little praise, given the fact they have clearly outperformed what the car was capable of this weekend.
They came into the weekend on a high having secured the future of both of their drivers until the end of 2025.
For them, it is all about building for next season and trying to give seven-time world champion Hamilton a car in which he may be able to challenge once more for the top prize.
For now, they will just be hoping that they get the chance to win at least one race this season, having not failed to win a single race in a season since 2011.
READ MORE: Toto Wolff: Net worth, wife and career profile of Mercedes giant
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton hit with SURPRISE Ferrari claim as new Cullen relationship blossoms - GPFans F1 Recap
- 43 minutes ago
Current F1 star qualifies for world championship race on two wheels
- 1 hour ago
Ricciardo given HUGE boost after upgrade claim
- 2 hours ago
‘Absolute b******s’ - Newey’s wife SLAMS Red Bull F1 claims
- 3 hours ago
Norris INJURED at party with legendary DJ
- Yesterday 19:57
Newey tipped to POACH key Red Bull staff if he joins F1 rivals
- Yesterday 18:57
Related news
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
Mercedes star tipped to replace struggling driver THIS season
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860