Mike Elliott, the Mercedes technical director, the one responsible for what Lewis Hamilton and George Russell get to drive on the track, is probably receiving ultimatums from the Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff. The entire Brackley team is in the hustle. Apparently, the winter break remained a total waste. Mercedes realized this after spending two races of the season.
However, now, before the third race arrives, the team is trying to bring effective upgrades that may help the W14 perform better. Mike Elliott has revealed which part of the new Mercedes black livery car is going under reconsideration. What is the development Mercedes is bringing with the Australian Grand Prix in order to come under the 2023 title contention? This is what the technical director explains.
Mike Elliott Speaks On Mercedes Upgrade
In February, when the German team launched their 2023 championship-winning machine, they were quite confident that the unique concept of side pods they have brought reflected their pride in not copying others’ ideas. But now, after attaining P7, P5 and, P4, P5 in the Bahrain GP and in the Saudi Arabian GP, the team is ready to look similar to Red Bull or Aston Martin. Anything Mercedes will do just to get back in the right direction, says Toto Wolff. He has revealed that in order to bring game-changing upgrades to the W14, Mercedes will ditch their idea of the slim side pod design, which debuted last year with the W13. Entire new concepts will be taken in hand.
Although, George Russell‘s P4 in Jeddah was better than his P7 in Bahrain. This came as a result of the little upgrade Mercedes launched ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. So, now to improve the performance in Melbourne, the team is bringing more changes to the car. What kind of concept change will it be? Mike Elliott said, “It means different to different people.”
The Team Will Alter The Following Parts In Before The Upcoming Grand Prix
As mentioned on Formula1’s official website, Mike Elliott has accepted that Mercedes is not where it was supposed to be. As per the technical director, “we had to look after each and every part of the W14 and work through different approaches because, at present, there is a huge gap between the rivals and Mercedes, and we need to catch up to the front.”
Speaking of the parts where Mercedes will bring upgrades ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Mike Eliott mentioned:
- The aerodynamics
- The shape of the car
- Seidepod geometry
- Floor geometry
All of the above parts will be overlooked, and the engineers will try to find out if any trick they have missed so far. The Brackley team is also ready to take the help of the data and information concluding from the simulation work. It will clarify whether the aerodynamics works are being pushed in the right direction or if there is something missing.
The Bahrain Grand Prix remained a reality check for the German squad. They know they are not competitive at this moment. Only disappointments have been coming to the team in the name of a strong comeback. “But you gotta get through that and find what you are going to do now!” said Mike Elliott. He revealed that the team is already receiving positive feedback from the developers they are bring ing in the W14 for the past ten days.
