Mercedes Planning To Bring Some Crucial F1 Upgrades In W13 To Miami GP?

Mercedes continued to struggle with the porpoising during the Emilia Romagna GP. The Silver Arrows have been forced to compromise with a significant amount of performance due to the increased floor heights. However, the W13 experienced some serious bouncing at Imola during Friday\’s qualifications. Moreover, the racing team struggled with warm-up tire issues, and a red flag during the Q2 ensured neither Lewis Hamilton nor George Russell could make it to Q3.

Recently, Mercedes\’ trackside engineering director revealed that the Silver Arrows are making progress in understanding the issue with the W13 and constantly improving it. The racing team cannot increase their performance until they deal with the outstanding porpoising issue, which has affected Hamilton more than Russell. Therefore, Mercedes could bring in some new small tweaks in the W13 to get closer to understanding the porpoising issue at the Miami Grand Prix.

In a video released by Mercedes, Andrew Shovlin revealed that the racing team is moving forward and are learning more about the issue. The British engineer further said that the team is looking to bring some parts to the car in Miami. This will hopefully indicate if Mercedes is moving in the right direction. The racing director shared that the team is not expecting to solve the porpoising issue overnight. However, the Silver Arrows hope to get a clue that they are going in the right direction and really get to the bottom of the issue. Shovlin added, \”Then we will be quite pleased that we are just moving on the right path.\”

Shovlin Explains Wolff\’s Comment About The Performance Capabilities Of The W13

During the event in Imola, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff suggested that a significant amount of performance is yet to come from the W13. Wolff told that the team had an idea about how to unlock the car\’s potential, which is already within the car. And get closer to Mercedes\’ rivals. Toto said, \”But at the moment, we haven\’t got the key.\”

Shovlin explained Wolff\’s remarks and suggested there have been some encouraging signs for the problem, which cannot be fixed instantly. The British engineer said that his team could not run the car where they designed it to run. He shared that the increased ride height has led to a decline in the W13\’s performance. Meanwhile, Shovlin revealed how almost every car on the grid is suffering from porpoising. And lifting the car is a way to alleviate the issue. The trackside director added that the engineers in Brackley have been trying to understand the phenomenon. They are working hard to find a way to engineer it out of the W13. 

Further, Andrew pointed out that Wolff referred to the aerodynamic solution as the key in his statement. The solution could make the problem go away. Moreover, the 48-year-old assured the fans that Mercedes are seeing some encouraging signs. The team hopes to bring some new parts to Miami, where they can track their progress on the porpoising issue. Mercedes have not been able to bring some major upgrades due to the bouncing issue. Thus, the Silver Arrows would hope that they can counter it during the Miami Grand Prix.