Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin described the team’s pace through Zandvoort’s high-speed corners as "rubbish" and is investigating the inconsistency between stints and drivers. After a strong sprint weekend where George Russell claimed pole and victory, Mercedes fell behind McLaren’s Lando Norris in the Grand Prix, though still finished 2‑3 in both qualifying and the race. Kimi Antonelli outperformed teammate Russell, extending his championship lead to 59 points. Shovlin noted minimal car changes between races and highlighted that the left‑side tyres struggled on Turns 7‑9, a problem not seen elsewhere this season. Drivers reported differing car balances, with Russell experiencing more understeer and Antonelli more oversteer, leaving Mercedes uncertain about the root cause. Despite the performance dip, the team secured its second‑highest points total of the year—46 points—during the sprint race weekend.

"We've got a few things on the performance side to try and dig into," Shovlin said, adding that the team will analyze the data this week. The confusion is heightened by the lack of setup adjustments and the varied driver experiences, prompting a thorough review over the coming days.