Mercedes tried plenty of things this season with their car, but it has not quite worked in their favor yet. Moreover, they are desperate to get back to winning ways. A team that dominated the grid for eight consecutive years has won only a single race since last year. Moreover, they are winless in 2023 so far. The Brackley team is constantly working and planning on new upgrades, but W14 is just not helping their cause yet.
At the beginning of the current season, Mercedes did not care for side pods as they got a win in Brazil last year with their zero side pod concept. But very soon, they realized the problem with the absence of the side pods. Then, in Monaco, Mercedes presented W14 with side pods, and more upgrades followed in the next races. Recently, in an interview, the technical director of the Silver Arrows, James Allison, mentioned the team’s one race-at-a-time approach is working well for them.
James Allison Reveals His Team’s Approach Towards The Second Half Of 2023
Moreover, Allison said they had high hopes in the beginning. But Mercedes had to learn to cope with their position relative to the front of the field. However, Allison feels the team’s subsequent reaction was admirable. James Allison revealed that they noticed what went wrong and have been trying to correct it ever since. Almost all the customers of Mercedes were beating them, and even Ferrari was beating them at the start of the season. Gradually, the Brackley team put these competitors behind them. Everything plays a part, from strategy to engineering, manufacturing, reliability, and then, of course, the drivers.
These racers must be metronomic to turn half opportunities into points. James Allison knows it’s essential to finish at P2. But he also revealed the team will shift its tone to the development of W15. Moreover, the chief technology officer, Mike Elliot, added that they have been through a great learning experience since last year. As he quoted Niki Lauda, “You learn more when you lose more than you win.” Moreover, Elliot hopes they can take this learning and build a championship-winning car next year.
Mercedes Must Fight For P2 Finish In The Second Half Of The 2023 Season
Since the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced the B-spec version of the W14 car with new side pods along with front and floor suspensions. If that was not enough, Mercedes added a new front wing to speed up around the slow-speed corners. However, the Brackley team has not won a race with all these upgrades yet. But they have managed to secure the second place for some time. However, it is not over yet as still ten races are remaining. Mercedes will feel the competition from Aston Martin, Ferrari, and new challengers McLaren.
The MCL60 is using Mercedes power units and has achieved great success. Lando Norris managed to beat Lewis Hamilton multiple times in the last few races. What will the Brackley team do now? The CTO of Mercedes, Mike Elliot, mentioned they are focusing on next year’s car, but at the same time, they will keep pushing W14 to its limit. Some experts believe Mercedes should keep their focus on this year’s car and keep fighting for second place.
