Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have been part of Mercedes since 2013. They have seen the most fantastic days in F1 and are now experiencing a tumultuous phase as well. The turbo-hybrid era saw Mercedes dominate the grid for seven years. But in the cost cap era, the Silver Arrows have barely managed to win a race.
Now, it has been more than a year since the slump phase kicked in. Mercedes won a solitary race in Brazil last year, with the young driver George Russell beating the seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton. Anyway, Hamilton has not been a winner since the 2021 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix. But since then only, he is looking out to take his revenge and secure another world champion title. For that, Lewis needs a win, and it does not look possible without Mercedes changing the cockpit position of the W14 car.
Toto Wolff Reveals There Won’t Be Much Change In The Seat Position
Among the new upgrades, there is supposed to be a new side pod design and new suspensions at the front and the floor. However, there are no words of change in the seat position. But Lewis Hamilton has been asking the team to change the cockpit since the Bahrain Grand Prix. Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff spoke to Motorsport.com and mentioned, “The seat position could only be moved from 5 to 15 cm only.” However, Hamilton stated in Australia that the cockpit is too close to the front wheel. And as a driver, that is the worst feeling to be in that position. Toto Wolff feels the driver’s opinion is very important.
However, the Silver Arrows boss feels the seat position won’t matter to the new pace and driveability of the car after new upgrades. Albeit, the same cockpit position won’t help Lewis gain too much faith in the car. But it will help the car gain more speed. Toto Wolff feels the aerodynamics package brought stability and predictability to the car and to the drivers, respectively. However, Mercedes’ boss also tries to be realistic when he says that in 15 years, never did he see a silver bullet make so much difference that it unlocks half a second of performance in the car. The chances for that to happen are slim to none.
Lewis Hamilton Desperate To Get Back To Winning Ways
The seven-time champion clearly needs a victory to get back into the mindset and momentum. But the W14 car has not provided any scope to enjoy a P1 finish. Mercedes is desperate to race with new upgrades that they expected to test in Imola. But heavy rainfall ruined the plans of the Brackley team. Since the Imola track got overflooded, Mercedes will test the new upgrades in Monaco. It is the venue for the next Grand Prix.
It would have been more suitable if they could try testing the modifications in Barcelona and not in a street circuit like Monaco. But the Brackley team is desperate as they are losing precious time. Hence, they have decided to go with Monaco anyway. However, how will Lewis Hamilton take the whole no change in seat position factor will be interesting? But the question is if the 5 to 15 centimeters change in the cockpit makes a difference. Also, it is interesting to see what difference it makes to the points table.