It looks like team Mercedes is looking for the best strategy to build a car that can help them catch their rivals. Clearly, Red Bull is way too ahead of the rest on the grid at present. They have a significant advantage over others due to the fantastic RB19 car. Moreover, the new star of Formula One, Max Verstappen, makes it a lot easier for them to win races every race weekend. The Milton Keynes team has won all the races so far after the first 12 races.
Max Verstappen has himself won 10 GPs, and there are more than ten races to go after the summer break ends. But still, nobody could stop Verstappen from finishing on top after a Grand Prix this year. Even though Lewis Hamilton had a pole position in the Hungarian Grand Prix, which was his 104th career pole position. But he could not convert it to a race win. Moreover, the Mercedes star could not even get a podium in the Hungarian Grand Prix and neither the Belgian Grand Prix. However, Mike Elliot, Mercedes CTO, mentioned that the team will keep pushing and introducing more upgrades this season.
Mercedes Will Keep Introducing New Upgrades, But Their Focus Is On The W15 Car
Recently, the seven-time champion said that only his driving skills won’t do unless the car helps more. Due to the W14 car, the gap is increasing so much between Mercedes and Red Bull. The CTO of Mercedes, Mike Elliot, mentioned that they are looking forward to improving the car in the remaining ten races. But their prime focus from here on will be to build a strong car for 2024. Lewis Hamilton and his team are eager to have a fresh start next year, winning from the start of the 2024 season.
Elliot also mentioned that Mercedes wants to finish in second place this season. They want to seek valuable data for next year. But Elliot also mentioned that they must keep pushing until the current season ends. They must not give up at any point. Hence, they will introduce new upgrades every race in the remaining fixture. That way, Mercedes as a team will learn more about what they need to correct and the changes they must bring with the W15 car.
Can Any Team Stop Red Bull From Winning A Race This Season?
Red Bull has a good chance to win all the races this season. They would be the first team to do so. Max Verstappen can become the first driver to win 20 races a season. If any team or driver can stop them, then it has to be Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. The former champions are still second in the constructor title. They have introduced new upgrades since the Monaco Grand Prix this year. It sure helped them bring more stability to the W14 car.
But Mercedes has not won a single race this season. They only won one last year in the Brazilian Grand Prix with a one-two finish. Other than Mercedes, there are Aston Martin and McLaren, who have shown positive growth this year. McLaren’s Lando Norris had a couple of P2 finishes. Norris was only 3.7 seconds slower than Max Verstappen in Silverstone. It has been the closest any driver came to Max Verstappen this year.