The Mercedes team has been in a rut since the introduction of the 2022 ground effect. The eight-time Constructors Cup champions have tried numerous permutations and combinations with its F1 car setup, all in vain. However, the 2024 season came with a ray of revival for Silver Arrows. Although the start of the season was a replica of the previous seasons, the team bounced back from the Austrian GP. After George Russell ended Merecdes’ two-year winless streak, it was Lewis Hamilton’s chance to return to winning ways. The Briton won couple of races and suddenly, everything was back to normal.
Sadly, the momentous run was cut short after the summer break, as F1 returned to more warm and humid conditions. The sensitive W15 is not designed to cruise on warmer tracks, resulting in another slump. The team was optimistic about a mega upgrade in Austin GP. However, the Three-Pointed star had a nightmarish US GP with Lewis Hamilton beaching his W15. Later, in Mexican GP, George Russell’s W15 sustained damage after a collision with Oscar Piastri. As a result, the team faces mounting pressure, with the repeated crashes straining its cost-cap budget.
Mercedes Yet To Understand The Latest Floor Upgrade
Mercedes introduced their latest upgrade package at the Circuit of the Americas following the autumn break. Although they showed promising pace during the initial sprint qualifying sessions, they ultimately struggled to maintain it throughout the weekend. After a crash in qualifying, George Russell was forced to revert to the older car setup for the Mexico race. Running with the previous body parts, he was initially ahead of his teammate, Lewis Hamilton. However, Hamilton eventually overtook him, aided in part by the fact that Russell’s car suffered damage during an earlier battle with Oscar Piastri.
Toto Wolff explained that turbulence likely contributed to one of Russell’s main front flaps collapsing, severely impacting performance. This damage created a significant loss of speed in high-speed sections, equivalent to a 20-point drop in aerodynamic efficiency. While Russell managed to control the car well despite the issue, the tire degradation from the damaged aero configuration ultimately compounded his lap time losses.
Wolff commended Russell for his strong driving throughout the weekend but pointed out the possibility that the recent upgrades may have introduced unknown handling dynamics. He noted that the team experienced two serious crashes in the same Austin corner and that this instability persisted with both the new and old car setups. Wolff suggested the cars are “on a knife’s edge” aerodynamically, adding that the upcoming race in Brazil would serve as a valuable experiment. He hopes it will shed light on whether their challenges stem from high-speed instability, a low-speed issue, or a combination of factors, making it premature to declare one package superior to the other.
Mercedes Under Pressure After Cost Cap Concern
Following George Russell’s crash at the Circuit of the Americas and another incident in FP2, which resulted in a red flag, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff shed light on how these setbacks are impacting their budget. Wolff indicated that the cost cap has taken a substantial hit due to these crashes, leading the team to reconsider its development strategy. As a result, Mercedes will bring only two upgrade packages, including new floor configurations, to Brazil, but additional developments will be limited for the rest of the season.