Mercedes’ struggles with its car concept are second to none. They brought the downfall upon themselves by keeping the W13 design intact while developing the W14. The results were the same. The W14, just like the W13, is flawed and is struggling to generate pace. Hence, the Silver Arrows pressed the panic button and worked on a huge upgrade.
The introduction of those upgrades was delayed by a week as the Imola Grand Prix got canceled due to adverse weather conditions. Against their will, Mercedes had to introduce the upgrades on a tricky track of the Monte Carlo circuit at the Monaco Grand Prix. While they attained decent results in Monaco, the upgrades came to life at the Spanish Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen of Red Bull has poked fun at Mercedes over its recent upgrade inspiration.
Max Verstappen Take A Sly Dig At Mercedes For Copying Its Sidepod Design
Mercedes introduced a significant upgrade at the Spanish Grand Prix, which earned them a double podium finish. The team’s previous Zeropod concept was a huge disaster. Hence, they ditched the concept and introduced new sidepods, along with a larger front suspension. All the changes combined helped the Silver Arrows perform better in Spain. However, Red Bull alleged that the Brackley-based team copied its sidepod design. Red Bull has been the dominant car this season, and many teams, including Mercedes, have tried to copy its design.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen of Red Bull also jumped into the debate and took a sly dig at Mercedes. While speaking on Red Bull’s development plans for the rest of the season, Verstappen said maybe they will ditch side pods in the next upgrade. The “sidepod” jibe was directed towards Silver Arrows, who were criticized badly for their zeroed concept and also for adapting Red Bull’s wider side pod design. The Dutch driver did not stop there. He further rubbed salt in Mercedes’ wounds, saying that when the new regulation came into effect in 2022, Red Bull quickly understood it and hence was able to design a fast car. Moreover, the drink-based team is still hungry and will work on upgrades for the rest of the season.
Lewis Hamilton Confident Of Overtaking Red Bull With New Upgrades
The war of words between Mercedes and Red never dies off. Just when Max Verstappen trolled the Silver Arrows for their latest upgrades, the latter’s lead driver and seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, clapped back. Hamilton finished off P2 at the Spanish GP, thus earning his second podium finish of the season. He displayed immense faith in the W14’s new upgrades and even issued a stern warning to Red Bull.
Lewis Hamilton said that, as per his decade-long experience in Formula One, if a team is fast in Spain, by default, it’s going to be fast elsewhere. Further, the Briton reassured its fans that Mercedes still remains the strongest team on the gird and is very much capable of defeating Red Bull this season. Lewis also acknowledged its teammate, George Russell, for pushing hard to attain desired results every race weekend. Lastly, the Silver Arrows driver lauded its team’s salient efforts to chase down the Red Bulls. That being said, next up is the Canadian GP, and things are likely to get spiced up between the two arch-rivals.
