Mercedes has been looking to get back to title contention for a long time. It has been since 2021 that the German outfit lost its grip on the title. They won their last constructor title back in 2021. However, that same year, they lost the Driver’s World Championship as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was able to win his maiden title, beating the then-reigning champion Lewis Hamilton. Since then, the Red Bull superstar has never looked back. The Dutch racer went on to win three back-to-back titles. Currently, he is on his way to win his fourth world championship. However, in 2024, it seems there have been a couple of teams that are ready to challenge the Austrian outfit for the title.
McLaren and Ferrari have done great work with their car and the front wing to win a couple of races. Mercedes has been far behind in terms of performance. Moreover, in 2024, they had a terrible start. They could not even finish in the top five of the first few races. On top of that, Lewis Hamilton is all set to leave the team after this season. Hence, the future of the Silver Arrows does not look promising. Lately, though, their performance in Canada has raised eyebrows. Some fans and experts believe Mercedes has figured out a way to get back on top.
F1 Pundit Believes That With New Upgrade, Mercedes Can Contend For The Title Once Again
Recently, in an interview with the F1 Nation Podcast, Tom Clarkson mentioned that moving forward, Mercedes can totally expect to be title contenders once again. He points out the new flexible front wing of the W15 car. The F1 analyst believes the new front wing has been the change this team needed for so long. Red Bull nailed this part of the car way back in 2022. That’s why they are so ahead of the rest in the grid. Then, McLaren got the front wing issue right last season. That’s the reason why they have done so well in 2024 so far. But is the 2024 Canadian GP the turning point for Mercedes in the ground effect era?
Tom Clarkson believes Toto Wolff’s team has found their “Eureka moment” in the new aerodynamic era. Moreover, Clarkson says in the last two races Mercedes has taken a massive step. However, the F1 pundit feels James Allison will be like, “No one element can make a car better.” Nonetheless, Clarkson feels that even the Mercedes technical director will admit that the new flexi front wing has been the “Silver bullet” they have been talking about for so long. George Russell had that upgrade in Monaco. Later in Montreal, both Hamilton and Russell drove with the new flexi front wing. Clearly, getting their first podium finish of the year must change the mood in the Brackley outfit.
Clarkson Says F1 Is In For An Exciting Time Going Forward
McLaren’s Lando Norris was able to beat Max Verstappen in the Miami Grand Prix. Later, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc won the Monaco GP. Verstappen had an even worse outing in Monaco. Now, in Canada, George Russell got his career’s second pole position. In the qualifying session in Montreal, the Mercedes and the Red Bull drivers had set the same lap time. Hence, Tom Clarkson feels F1 is going to be even more competitive from now on.
The F1 pundit believes Mercedes has found the solution they were looking for. He also said the front wing will have to carry a lot of load. They have to stay within the regulations. As long as the Silver Arrows manage to flex the front wing to a certain amount with that load on it, they can do whatever they want beyond that.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.
