Mercedes reveal upgrade plan to 'bully' their way back to the front in F1

Mercedes technical director James Allison has revealed the team plans on delivering a continual stream of upgrades that will result in it "bullying" its way back to the front in F1.

After proclaiming in recent weeks and months the team was finally on the right track with the W15, Mercedes delivered over the weekend in Canada where George Russell scored the team's first pole position for 20 races.

Although Russell failed to convert that into a first win in 19 months, making a couple of mistakes along the way that undermined his and the team's cause, there was an "undercurrent of great happiness", according to Allison, in witnessing the performance of the car following the numerous upgrades that have recently been applied.

There was also, however, a feeling of 'the one that got away', adding: "There is just a little bit, floating around on the surface of that buoyancy, just a...that could have been a win, and you can't put that out of your mind, however hard you try.

"But the main feeling is of delight that this was another step forward for the car, the first weekend where we could claim to be nicely competitive, and maybe a bell weather for better things to come."

As to whether it will now suit other tracks, given the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is an outlier with its unusual configuration, is the acid test that will be faced when F1 returns to Europe and the triple-header of Barcelona, Austria, and Great Britain.

Mindful not to get too carried away, Allison said: "The changes we've made are definitely making this car a better car, and that will be true at every circuit we go to.

"The characteristics of Montreal probably make it [the car] look a little quicker than we have a natural right to command at the coming races. I think it more likely that we will be competitive, but not right at the front.

"That's because the next tracks are a little bit of a sterner test of a car - hot asphalt, wider cornering speeds and so on."

But now Mercedes is on the right path with the car, Allison has confirmed an aggressive development route to continue to add performance, and ultimately reel in and pass Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari.

"However, that said, I also know what we've got coming," said Allison. "I also know what we're planning to further improve the car, and our challenge is just to keep those upgrades arriving at a pace that the others can't keep up with.

"In doing that, just bullying our car to the front by virtue of the effort made by everybody over the coming weeks and months to get the car so that it can have its Montreal weekend, or better, at any track that we face in the future."