Mercedes won the F1 constructors\’ championship for eight straight seasons before the 2022 championship. However, this season has been extremely rough for the Silver Arrows as they have failed to win a single Grand Prix. The German racing team introduced a zero-pod W13 car for the season, designed according to the new regulations put forward by the FIA.
Unfortunately, Mercedes could not get it right as the car\’s unique design posed some porpoising issue that has troubled the team since the start of the season. But things appeared to have chained in Barcelona when W13 appeared as the fastest team on the track as the team succeeded in countering the bouncing issue. After a P3 and P5 finish by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at the Spanish Grand Prix, the Silver Arrows struggled again on the bumpy street circuit in Monaco.
Hamilton struggled with a different bouncing than the porpoising. He said that he was tired of his teeth shaking and his jaw moving all the time in the W13. Mercedes are found behind in the championship table as they have attained 101 points so far. And their 2021 rivals Red Bull have a 134 points lead over them, sitting on top. The racing team has won only three podiums so far as Lewis has struggled to get hold of his W13.
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The highest the Silver Arrows have finished is P3, and the veteran team would like to change things around soon. However, Ferrari\’s Charles Leclerc has not ruled the championship-winning team out of the season. He has predicted a three-way battle coming ahead on the calendar.
Leclerc Thinks Mercedes Will Be Back Soon
The Ferrari driver opened up about Mercedes\’ struggles this year after being on top for so long. Charles responded that \”at some point every team will stop winning.\” The Monegasque shared that it is strange to see a dominant team like Mercedes in trouble at the start of the season. However, Leclerc thinks that it would be stupid to write the Silver Arrows off for too long. The 24-year-old is aware of the German team\’s strength and does not think their achievements are a coincidence. Leclerc thinks Mercedes has succeeded as a result of the right people working together.
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The Ferrari driver acknowledged that Mercedes had had a difficult start to the season. But he had no doubts that the Silver Arrows would be back soon. Charles also mentioned Mercedes\’ strong performance in Spain and hoped they would be back soon to compete with Ferrari for victories. He added, \”It would be exciting for Formula 1 to see three teams battle it out.\”
The Mercedes definitely need some crucial changes to get back to winning ways. Lewis Hamilton really needs to step in and lead the Silvers Arrows as Russell has performed better than the Briton so far. The 24-year-old has finished in the top 5 every race and is fourth on the drivers\’ rankings with 84 points. Meanwhile, Hamilton has earned just 50 points. So, the seven-time world champ needs to work on that as we move to Baku for the Azerbaijan GP on June 12.
