Gary Anderson spotted ‘win-win’ upgrade on George Russell’s Mercedes at the Canadian Grand Prix

George Russell took advantage of a ‘win-win’ upgrade that Mercedes had on his car at the Canadian Grand Prix for his first pole position and race victory of the 2025 season.

The Silver Arrows also saw rookie sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli record the first podium of his Formula 1 career at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve last Sunday. The 18-year-old became the third-youngest driver to reach a Grand Prix rostrum after he sealed third in the Canadian GP.

Russell and Antonelli also did not need McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri crashing in the Canadian GP to achieve their results in Montreal. Antonelli easily fended off Piastri for the final podium position in Canada, while Russell lapped in clean air out in front.

Gary Anderson thinks Mercedes’ Canadian GP rear suspension upgrade is a ‘win-win’

Russell surprised Helmut Marko in Canada, as well, as Mercedes did not endure the levels of tyre degradation that Red Bull predicted ahead of the race. And the Silver Arrows could have reintroducing their rear suspension update seen at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to thank.

Mercedes shelved the update in Spain and Monaco as they struggled with tyre management at Imola. But Gary Anderson feels Mercedes hit gold by using the suspension upgrade at the Canadian GP as it helped Russell and Antonelli to both manage their rear tyre temperatures.

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Ex-Jordan technical director Anderson has noted that Mercedes’ rear suspension upgrade increases the anti-lift on the rear of Russell and Antonelli’s car under braking. It is especially helpful at tracks with heavy-braking zones like in Canada by lowering the centre of pressure.

“We often talk about how important it is to run these cars low to the ground, and this helps do exactly that,” Anderson has told The Race. He also added: “If you can keep more of the aerodynamic load on the rear tyres under braking, then you will keep the rear tyres cooler.

“When you exit the corner and apply the power, the rear tyres will have more grip. This means less wheelspin, which will also reduce the increase in rear tyre temperature. So, it’s a win-win situation.

“There is still more room for development in that area by increasing the pro-squat, which will let the car sit down more under acceleration and, again, reduce the increase in tyre temperature under acceleration. But that’s probably for another day.”

Mercedes’ set-up failures made their rear suspension upgrade look like a mistake at Imola

Mercedes’ rear suspension upgrade caused trouble at Imola when the Silver Arrows first put the update on Russell and Antonelli’s cars. While Russell was still able to qualify in P3 for the Emilia Romagna GP, he fell to P7 to end a race outside the top-five for the first time this year.

But it then became clear the suspension upgrade was not the Silver Arrows’ main issue, so it returned largely unchanged from the version used at Imola for the Canadian GP. Mercedes’ set-up failures at Imola and in Monaco ensured Russell and Antonelli overheated their tyres.

So, Mercedes realised their suspension upgrade did not contribute to their larger problems, thus Russell and Antonelli utilised the update in Montreal. They will now hope to find similar success at the Austrian Grand Prix given the Red Bull Ring requires similar downforce levels.