The Mercedes team, enjoying a sudden upturn before the summer break, are now puzzled. The team has again run into a technical issue, and the technical crew is looking for a solution. The W15 was among the quickest cars, winning consecutive GPs. However, things have changed, and the Silver Arrows are back to square one.
Amid all the commotion, the team remains optimistic. As the F1 gets ready for the double-header in Azerbaijan and Singapore, Mercedes wants to return to the winning ways. Toto Wolff and Andrew Shovlin have highlighted the key points ahead of the Baku challenge.
Mercedes Aims To Fight For “Every Possible Point” At Upcoming Street Circuit Showdowns
As the Formula 1 season heads to Azerbaijan, Mercedes is looking to bounce back from a challenging run at Zandvoort and Monza. With the Caspian Sea as the backdrop, the team hopes to regain momentum after underperforming in the last two races. Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal, acknowledged the difficulties but emphasized that it’s not time to panic. While their pace was strong at certain points, they struggled to maintain consistency, prompting the team to analyze what went wrong and apply those lessons moving forward.
Mercedes is now focused on improving their performance, starting with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and continuing through to Singapore. Both races present unique challenges, as the street circuits in Baku and Marina Bay are known for their demanding nature. The circuits feature a mix of low-speed, tight corners, and high-speed sections, testing both the drivers’ skill and the car’s setup. Mercedes hopes to handle these tracks better than they did in the Netherlands and Italy.
The latter part of the 2024 season remains unpredictable, with six different winners across seven races. Mercedes aims to be a contender in the fight at the front, determined to secure as many points as possible before the season concludes in Abu Dhabi. Wolff and his team are fully focused on ending the season on a high note, starting with the upcoming street circuit bonanza in Baku.
Mercedes Uncertain About A Sudden Drop In Pace
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, emphasized the team’s challenge in understanding the subtleties of their car’s handling characteristics. He pointed out that the car behaves differently depending on the track, making it difficult to assess whether there is something in the package they hadn’t anticipated. While some circuits have seen the car perform well, others have revealed struggles with balance, regardless of the aerodynamic specifications used.
Shovlin acknowledged that the team’s performance in the last two races hasn’t matched the results from earlier in the season. However, he suggested these fluctuations could be normal variations between different tracks. Moving forward, the Mercedes team plans to closely examine the data collected from recent races to identify areas for improvement. Alongside this analysis, Shovlin mentioned that the team will introduce updates, adding another layer of complexity to their assessments. Despite the challenges, Mercedes is confident they can make meaningful progress in the coming days with the wealth of data they’ve gathered.
