In the past few races, Mercedes has looked to have found the missing piece. The W15, consistently fighting aerodynamic woes, looks a touch quicker. The F1 car was flying in dry tires during the recent Canadian GP. Moreover, the technical team led by James Allison deserves all the credit, as their persistent efforts have opened the door for a comeback. The team looked out of touch earlier, as its drivers could not enter the top spots.
However, the Silver Arrows are confident of a solid return after the Cnada podium. While James Allison waits to see how the car performs on other tracks, he urges the team to ‘bully’ its way to the top. Moroever, the team has improved in another crucial F1 area. The team’s technical head, Allison, has given insight into this incremental gain and how it helps them improve.
A ‘Full Spectrum Effort’ Made Mercedes Drivers A Few Seconds Quicker
Mercedes hopes to return to the top after finishing the Montreal circuit with a P3 & P4. However, one of its chink in the armor has been the pit stop. The pit crew takes a significant chunk of time to make any tweaks. As a result, the team was eighth out of the top ten teams on the DHL Fastest Pit Stop Award. Subsequently, the team upgraded its army equipment to reduce pit stop time. Further, this improvement could help the team to undercut or overcut against the rivals in a close fight. Therefore, the team’s pit crew was faster than ever during the Canada GP, managing time for Hamilton and Russell of 2.2s and 2.4s.
Technical director James Allison explained the comprehensive efforts behind Mercedes’ improved pit stop performance. He emphasized that if they had continued using last year’s equipment, achieving the current pit stop times would have been impossible, regardless of the crew’s training. Further, the team recognized their lack of competitiveness in pit stops last year and dedicated significant effort to refining the car’s details. They focused on optimizing the wheel nuts and wheels to facilitate quicker changes and allow for a broader range of application errors by the gunmen.
Moreover, Allison highlighted the extensive work done by the mechanical design team, who concentrated on these minute details, produced the necessary components, and tested them in the Test and Development (T&D) department. After achieving hardware improvements, the focus shifted to the pit crews. In addition to their exhaustive work during the race weekends, these teams seized every opportunity to practice and perfect their pit stop routines.
Conjointly, he noted that the seamless, choreographed activity on television resulted from countless hours of practice. Thus, the team’s pit stop performance has advanced significantly, and Allison expressed his satisfaction with their progress. Despite this progress, he acknowledged the inherent pressure of pit stops, comparing it to having a sword of Damocles hanging over them, always present despite rigorous training and investment in hardware.
FIA Eases The ‘Verstappen Rule’ To Offer An Early Entry To Kimi Antonelli
The FIA has amended the ‘Verstappen Rule’ to open the gates for young, talented drivers. Recently, Williams requested that Kimi Antonelli be allowed a super license. However, he will turn eighteen in August, the minimum age to drive a single-seater. Thereupon, after months of deliberation, DIA finally accepted the request.
In a recent statement, the FIA official confirmed that a seventeen-year-old can drive in F1. However, depending on maturity and racing ability, a seventeen-year-old could get a super license, making him eligible to drive in F1. Therefore, if Kimi Antonelli can start driving for Williams, he would gather enough experience to make his way to the Mercedes team.
