Mercedes has been struggling with their car since last year. At first, W13 ruined the season for the German team due to porpoising issues. The porpoising factor caused too much bouncing for the two drivers to get the most out of the car. Lewis Hamilton even suffered bruises on the back as well as neck pain at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last year.
Citing that, the team was sure that this year, they would bring a good, title-competing car. However, once again, the Silver Arrows fell in the slump zone, struggling to even stay in the race. So now, Mercedes fans have been waiting for the promised upgrades. Apparently, these modifications are supposed to get Mercedes back on the right track. Lewis Hamilton is also optimistic about the new upgrades. However, George Russell sounded reluctant to discuss the upgrades.
Russell Shares What Mercedes Hopes To Achieve In Imola
The Silver Arrows fans want to know if the upcoming upgrades will work as expected. Have the condition of W14 improved after the upgrades? Although back in the time, Russell mentioned that the W14 car has not been consistent, which is why the team suffered in the earlier races. On top of that, the upcoming upgrades won’t change the world so drastically for the team, as per the young Briton. Right now, Mercedes’ main aim is to beat Red Bull. But George Russell believes that currently, the team should hope to get close to Aston Martin. Trackside engineer Andrew Shovlin also stated that if Mercedes had stuck to the same concept, they would never reach the level of Red Bull.
But after the upcoming upgrades, Mercedes will hope to challenge the Austrian team. Shovlin further revealed that “It took us a lot of time to figure out these upgrades. We don’t hope for a complete change so soon, but we do expect improvements.” Apparently, after all the struggle, George Russell finished fourth in Miami Grand Prix. And Mercedes looked like improving pace at the layout of the Hard Rock Stadium. The Briton has impressed everybody after his debut season for Mercedes. Clearly, it was tough for Lewis Hamilton with the W13 car, but fans expected it to be more challenging for Russell. However, with too much bouncing off the W13 car, Russell was able to beat Hamilton in Brazil as well as in the entire 2022 season. Indeed his debut season was impressive.
George Russell Has Impressed Everybody Since His Debut
Mercedes managed to win a single race at the fag end of the last season in Brazil. However, it was not Lewis Hamilton who won a race for the team. Instead, it was the young driver from Williams, George Russell, in his debut season for Mercedes, who won his maiden Grand Prix. Hamilton came in second in Brazil.
The success in Brazil made the Brackley team stick to the same concept as that of W13 for the new car this season. However, after the first five races this season, that concept has turned out to be a significant flaw in the German team’s campaign. The zero-side pod concept has only backfired, and Mercedes hopes to find ways to recover from that state as soon as possible.