Despite having a fair share of porpoising issues and the negligible pole position, the Brackley-based Mercedes believes that it caused “no harm” to the team. The team is taking lessons from the mistakes on the F1 racing track. It may seem that things are getting tense for the Mercedes team’s engineers, but that’s definitely not the case.
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering head, revealed that the situation looks better from the perspective of the engineers. Engineers have a natural zeal for problem-solving, and it is an opportunity to turn the tables for Mercedes.
Andrew Shovlin Discussed The Status And Morale Of The Mercedes Team!
Andrew Shovlin, part of the Mercedes’ engineering team, revealed the status of the team apart from the former champion’s performance on the track. “It is enjoyable to have a very different challenge,” Shovlin made a comment on the team’s current situation. “There were certainly parts early in the year that weren’t enjoyable, and that within the team were quite stressful and more than we would have asked for,” he further added to his comment.
Shovlin revealed about the German team that it suffered a lack of competition and motivation at its peak. There was nothing that would keep the engineers driving towards more excellence in their work. However, the problems that rose in the first half of the 2022 season brought back the problem-solving instinct of the engineers. Apparently, the increased level of motivation has paced up the development rate of the seven-time world champion team.
Andrew made a final remark on the Mercedes team’s downfall and how it can rebound from it, “If we can develop our way back to the front, I think the team will get its confidence back. But so far this year, it has just been a case of rebuilding the confidence of a team that was very strong and that has had a bit of a shock. So it’s been a difficult but good challenge for us.” He applauded the Silver Arrows and stated that the strength of the team lies in the people. These people have the ability to turn around the things like they did back in 2015 after Singapore collapse.
What Is Toto Wolff’s Stance On The Current Situation?
Mercedes chief Toto Wolff apprehends things in a practical way rather than the optimistic thoughts of team engineer Andrew Shovlin. “From an engineering standpoint, that was certainly valuable. But for all of us, from a human standpoint and a professional standpoint, it was very difficult to cope. Because if the top engineers don’t really understand why the data are not correlating with reality, that’s not easy,” Toto commented on the tough situation of the Mercedes team.
Mr. Wolff admitted the progression from the engineering perspective. But he mentioned the hard time he has been going through due to the current situation of his team. It is not like he has completely lost hope for a comeback. Nevertheless, the ticking clock of the next season has led him to limit his comprehension. It seems that Mercedes’ chief can’t see the end to this deadlock situation.