Mercedes had a tough season last year due to the W13 car’s porpoising issue. The poor car ruined the whole season for the former constructor champions. They had a stronghold on the title for so long. The German team won back-to-back eight constructor titles. But the Brackley team lost their dominance in 2022. Since the cost cap era began, the German team lost their grip on the title. On the other hand, their rival, Red Bull, is enjoying classic dominance with a superior car, thanks to their Chief Technology Officer, Adrian Newey.
Moreover, the Honda engines have been working miracles on RB19 for the team as well. However, Mercedes is having no luck with their car’s progress. The CTO of Mercedes, Mike Elliot, mentioned the main reason for the failure of his team’s performance in Spa was the porpoising issue. But why is it back again? Even Elliot is not sure about the reason.
Mike Elliot Feels The Spa Track And The W14 Car’s Setup Caused The Bouncing
Due to rain affecting the practice sessions, Elliot mentioned that the team was unable to study the car’s performance. However, the CTO of Mercedes feels the W14 car’s setup can be responsible for the return of porpoising issue. It can also be the tough track of Spa, Belgium. But most chances are the new upgrades caused the bouncing again. Mike Elliot mentioned that Mercedes will take a hard look at the effects of new upgrades. Moreover, the team must look at any possible reason that may cause the porpoising and bouncing despite new upgrades.
But at present, Elliot says the two logical conclusions are either the track or the car’s setup. Moreover, Mike Elliot also pointed out that other team cars also faced bouncing troubles in Spa. Maybe it’s the wet track of the Spa that caused the bouncing. But in the summer break, Mercedes have extra things to worry about now. They are already focusing on the next year’s car. But the goal should always be to improve on whatever they have got. Hence, for the remaining races, Mercedes will have a closer look into the W14 car.
Mercedes Has New Things To Worry About In The Summer Break
For the Brackley team, it has been as if taking one step forward and two steps backward. The W13 car had a lot of bouncing issues that caused a lot of problems for the drivers. But in 2023, the W14 car has been better, albeit it did not help the Silver Arrows get a victory yet. Moreover, W14 did not have as much bouncing as W13 since the start of the season.
It had issues with the balance and the rear-end downforce so far in the last 12 races this year. But in Spa, Belgium, Lewis Hamilton complained about the bouncing back again. After introducing new upgrades since the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes hoped to close the gap between them and Red Bull as much as possible. But now they have an old problem to worry about again. Currently, Mercedes is a mammoth 256 points behind their rivals, Red Bull, before the summer break.
