The seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, signed two years contract with Mercedes in 2022 with hopes of taking the eighth championship title back that was taken from him in 2021. But, the car that Mercedes built these two years is not something for which Hamilton signed the contract with Mercedes. The W13 was filled with porpoising issues; the W14 is lacking downforce.
What exactly is happening in the Brackley factory of the German manufacturer? From fans to the drivers to the team’s boss, everyone is frustrated. Whatever concepts Mercedes is bringing, it is not working. In this desperation, will Mercedes swallow their pride and copy their rival, Red Bull’s concepts? To retain Lewis Hamilton, to prevent the humiliation coming from Aston Martin’s comeback, what will Mercedes do? Explains Toto Wolff; let’s read how.
James Allison Is Back On Duty With Mercedes, Set For Imola Upgrades
The chief engineer Mike Elliott has been given an ultimatum by boss Toto Wolff. Whatever it takes, the W14 needs to get fixed as soon as possible. Moreover, James Allison [head of Mercedes technical operations] has been called back to bring action to the orders. Via Twitter, the team revealed that Allison would be guiding Mercedes for the updates they are bringing in Imola.
Nevertheless, in the tense situation of the Brackley factory, the so-called fact that Aston Martin approached Red Bull’s concept and rise is somehow affecting the team. Fernando Alonso‘s third position has been an alarm for team Mercedes. Apparently, it made them doubt themselves for the philosophy they were working with.
However, last year, after facing a slap of Red Bull’s dominative double championship win, Mercedes made their targets high. They promised to remove the porpoising issue and decrease the car’s weight. Successfully Mercedes achieved those targets. The W14 is not at all porpoised, and with the black livery, its weight has been lowered. But now what? Because other unexpected problems have arisen, and their car is still lacking the pace.
For Toto Wolff, Winning Is An Interesting Yet Painful Challenge That Mercedes Has At Present
Meanwhile, Boss Toto Wolff has admitted that the targets they set for the team were high, and they have achieved them too. But now new targets are in front of the team. Evidently, Bahrain Grand Prix has been a wake-up call for the Mercedes team and Wolff himself. He would definitely like to win every single race, as he said. But it is not a turbo hybrid era when Mercedes used to win, and only they used to win. Now winning even a single race is a challenge for the team. As per Toto Wolff, “It is interesting but also painful.“
Now the question is, ‘Is Mercedes too approaching for Red Bull’s idea of making a strong car like RB19?’ The answer is a little complicated but clear. No, not yet. Per what Toto Wolff reckoned, it does not seem like Mercedes is trying to copy Red Bull. They are still trying to be unique. “We have looked at other concepts, too,” Toto explained that Mercedes looked at various other concepts possibly adopted in the W14. But, it was just for opening their mind, exploring the other concepts allowed Mercedes to make the W14 work.
Besides, the Silver Arrows boss believes that the most crucial step for Mercedes currently is to set a benchmark again. Perhaps it is difficult for them to reach the benchmark that Red Bull is setting. However, this is where “we are, and there is no surprise in the other direction,” so just making the data work and continuing to bring innovations is what Mercedes gotta do.