The Mercedes team could finally rest during the summer break after a two-year-long slump. The team’s inability to design a powerful F1 car had been the biggest hurdle in its campaign. Despite consistent efforts, the Silver Arrows were nowhere near its competition.
Therefore, the team initially didn’t succeed much with the 2024 F1 project W15. However, with persistent tweaks and upgrades, the Brackley-based crew has ultimately figured out the correct configuration. Hence, W15 could be used as a benchmark to design its 2025 car in the last year of ground effect regulations.
Shovline Confirms The Next Season’s Car To Be An Almost Replica Of W15
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, has revealed that next season’s car is expected to be closely related to the current W15. This decision comes from the team’s growing confidence in maintaining their momentum over recent races into the 2025 season. Mercedes has achieved significant performance gains in recent months, propelling the team into regular race-winning contention with three victories in the past four Grand Prix. Thus, Shovlin explained that the success of their recent developments has bolstered their belief that they can sustain this upward trajectory into the following year. This marks a notable shift from previous seasons, where such confidence was lacking.
Despite a frustrating start to the season with a car that fell short of expectations, the British engineer emphasized that the team has made substantial progress in understanding and addressing their initial difficulties. He acknowledged that the car’s baseline was not optimal, which contributed to their early struggles. However, the German Marque has identified the core issues through persistent efforts and developed a clear path to unlocking performance.
Moreover, Shovlin expressed frustration over launching a subpar car for the third consecutive year but highlighted the valuable lessons learned through this process. The team’s ability to overcome these challenges has laid a solid foundation for future success, and they are now better positioned to capitalize on their recent advancements in performance.
Hamilton Discards A Potential Formula One Change
The extreme heat and humidity experienced during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix led to significant challenges for several drivers. Logan Sargeant had to retire from the race due to feeling unwell, Esteban Ocon vomited inside his helmet, and Lance Stroll reported nearly passing out in the car. In response, the FIA decided to take action and develop a device to address these conditions, planning to test it at the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix.
However, the seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton strongly opposes this initiative. He believes that such measures are unnecessary in Formula 1. Hamilton stated that the sport has always been challenging, and highly paid athletes are responsible for rigorous training to withstand extreme conditions. He acknowledged the difficulty of racing in hot climates like Qatar and Singapore but maintained that installing air conditioning units in the cars is unnecessary.