Mercedes technical director James Allison is a highly experienced car designer who has been part of Formula One since the early 1990s. The cars that he designed won eleven titles for teams and ten for drivers. If Lewis Hamilton had won the 2021 Driver’s world championship, then Allison would also have 11 Driver’s titles with his car design. But it was not meant to be, as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen not only broke Hamilton’s streak but also started his domination in 2021. Last year he won 15 races, which helped Red Bull win the constructor’s title after a long time. The Austrian team won the constructor title previously in 2013 during Sebastian Vettel’s era.
On the other hand, Mercedes lost their grip on the title in 2022, and it looks like it will take a longer time to get back to contention. However, James Allison believes that the 2023 Hungary Grand Prix will be different because of the track in Budapest. According to Allison, any track with more slow round corners will help the new front wings of the Mercedes W14. He believes that the team will know for sure where it stands with new upgrades after what will happen in the Hungaroring race.
James Allison Feels The Front Wing Should Work Better In Hungary
Allison is happy with the solid result of the British Grand Prix, as they got a podium finish. Lewis Hamilton finished at P3, while George Russell finished among the top five. But Mercedes’ chief technical engineer believes that the Hungarian Grand Prix for Mercedes will be a very instructive race, even more than the previous races. He believes that the front wing should help the car go faster. But specifically, the new front wing should help Mercedes in gaining a better balance and improve the car’s performance, especially through the corner’s slower range.
However, James Allison warns that it is still too early to tell. He assures that the car is doing well around the slower part of the race tracks. But the Hungary Grand Prix will give them a clearer picture. Allison also joined Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton in praising the McLaren team’s progress since the Austrian Grand Prix. Lando Norris was only 3.7 seconds slower than Max Verstappen in Silverstone. That’s the closest any driver has been to Verstappen this season. Even Lewis Hamilton called the car of Lando Norris “Rocketship.”
The W14 Is Still A Handful For The Mercedes Team
The Brackley team had a poor start to the season primarily due to their car’s zero-side pod concept. However, very soon after the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain, they realized the importance of new upgrades with new side pods. From the Monaco Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced new side pods along with front and floor suspensions.
Later, in the British Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced a new front wing. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been complaining about the W14 car’s poor performance around the slow-speed corners. The new front wing seems to solve that issue. But it did not help Mercedes in Silverstone Grand Prix. McLaren, with identical Red Bull’s side pods, came second.