As the first quarter of F1 is about to end, Mercedes scored 64 points until the end of the Miami GP. The team is well behind its customer, McLaren. Thus, the team is enduring a patchy phase, while its star racer, Lewis Hamilton, is set to join Ferrari for the 2025 season. Moreover, the team has been lagging since 2022 and has yet to win a race. 

All the miseries come down to a single point- the car’s design. The Mercedes F1 project, known as W15, has been disappointing due to numerous unresolved issues that engineers struggle to address. Therefore, in an attempt to turn the tables, the Geran outfit is working day and night to introduce some mega changes for the remainder of 2024. 

Wolff Optimistic About Latest’ Season Defining’ Upgrade

The Silver Arrows have performed a bunch of experiments on their F1 project. However, the team is confident as they might have solved the puzzle. While the team is in pursuit of delivering a quick and efficient package, they have failed to address the underlying issues. Furthermore, drivers have expressed concerns about the car’s lack of speed, particularly when navigating high-speed corners. Therefore, the team principal, Toto Wolff, wasn’t confident about their future, and he called the recent time a ‘painful learning curve.’ However, he seems optimistic about the team’s efforts that could land them in the front of the F1 grid. Further, he added that the race team is in ‘sixth gear’ as they try to bring changes that can be extremely ‘helpful.’ 

Notably, the outfit has not looked like an elite F1 team since the ground-effect regulations were enacted. While teams like Red Bull and Ferrari are leveraging the concept, engineers at Brackley are struggling to combat the woes. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how the latest upgrades help them climb the ladder. 

Miami GP Upgrade Wasn’t A Success For the Silver Arrows 

The Mercedes technical team was hopeful for a change in fortune after the much-awaited upgrade package. The team reconfigured the roof for better load at the front and altered flow at the rear end. Consequently, these changes impacted the wing’s design, as it has five longitudinal strakes instead of two. With a couple more track-specific changes for Miami, the team expected a favorable outcome. 

However, the team’s performance was underwhelming, as both racers failed to qualify for Q3 during the sprint qualifiers. Moreover, the pair bagged seventh and eighth during the regular qualifying. But the Sunday race was disappointing, as they failed to enter the top five again. George Russell feels they ‘overcompensated’ for the flaws of W15, as they went too far in the other direction. In the end, Martin Brundle believes the upcoming upgrade could define Mercedes’ 2024 and 2025 season.