Mercedes lost their hegemony to Red Bull in 2022. Since then, the Austrian outfit has dominated the grid like never seen before. Last year, Christian Horner’s team won 21 races out of 22. On the other hand, the German team remained winless. In 2022, the Brackley team won a single race that came in the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, it was not the common name of Lewis Hamilton that finished on top in the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. Instead, it was the new driver debuting for Mercedes in 2022, George Russell. The young Briton even beat Hamilton in his debut season for Mercedes.
But no matter what, the Silver Arrows were nowhere near the pace of the current dominating team, Red Bull. It was their zero sidepod concept that messed up their whole process. However, it seems like Toto Wolff’s team has come to their senses to throw that old concept away. As of now, the team has been working really hard to fix their issues since 2022. Moreover, the team might have progressed a lot as per the simulations. Even James Allison believes it is possible to beat Red Bull next season.
Can Mercedes Beat Red Bull Next Season?
The Mercedes technical director recently renewed his contract with the team. He thinks Lewis Hamilton and George Russell can certainly beat the Austrian outfit next season. Recently, in an interview with Racer.com, James Allison admitted that they are obviously not the favorites. But even as the challengers, Allison thinks the issues and shortcomings of the W14 car are fixable. In fact, the Mercedes technical director thinks they have fixed those shortcomings with the new car. Hence, it should help the German team move to the top of the grid. Moreover, Allison expects to see the grid will be a lot closer together this year.
Unlike last year, the Mercedes chief hopes to see a lot more competitive season in 2024. Moreover, James Allison believes the trend of cars being a second apart in Q1 will keep on showing itself in 2024. This trend started in 2022 with the introduction of the cost cap era. Allison believes the gains are getting more asymptotic. Moreover, the Mercedes chief noticed some signs that indicate the 2024 season will see a busier top of the grid. Now, the Hamilton and Mercedes fans will hope to see another 2021-like showdown this year. It has been way too boring and disappointing for them since 2022.
James Allison Praises Red Bull Racing
The Mercedes chief mentioned he’s enjoying having a different mindset where he’s trying to catch up with the Austrian outfit. But the British technical director admits that winning is usually more fun. Anyway, Allison has a lot of respect for the way Red Bull has been acting at present. The Mercedes chief admired how Red Bull stuck to their task even in the turbo-hybrid era when they could not beat Mercedes.
But now, Allison believes the Austrian outfit is currently enjoying the fruits of their “Well-Placed Labor.” It is not an enjoyable position to be in when the team doesn’t win anything. But James Allison added that teams must be collectively confident that they are making the right moves to re-establish themselves as a force to reckon with.
Stay tuned with Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 teams.
