Mercedes would love to get better in terms of performance than last year. But things are not looking very promising for the former champions. In 2023, they were winless. So far, this season, they have had a “Pretty bad” start to the season. Moreover, in 2022, the Silver Arrows managed to win only at the Brazilian Grand Prix. Since 2022, the German outfit has lost its grip on the F1 title. That’s the year when the cost cap era began. The change of regulations in 2022 saw things go downhill for Mercedes. Moreover, the team has been struggling with their car. At first, it was the porpoising issue that caused a lot of bouncing. The main cause for that was the zero-side pod concept.
Clearly, the German outfit has not yet understood the car completely. That’s why they are still struggling to get the best out of the car. Besides porpoising issue, the Brackley team has also been dealing with high downforce. They have been unable to get the best out of their car on the high-speed circuits. However, the team has always been optimistic regarding their simulation results. But then, those results don’t match in real-life races. An F1 pundit mentioned these correlation problems are not good signs for the Silver Arrows.
Martin Brundle Worries That Mercedes Is In Trouble Due To The Correlation Issues
Lately, on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Martin Brundle discussed with Karun Chandhok the German outfit’s poor performance in the Japanese Grand Prix. So far in 2024, Mercedes is, at best, the fourth or fifth-best team. Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin seem to be in a much better place than the Brackley team in terms of their cars. Brundle pointed out the correlation problems of W15. The F1 pundit said these are “Very worrying signs.” Mercedes had their worst season in the Japanese Grand Prix almost in ten years. George Russell finished seventh. On the other hand, the seven-time champion finished at P9. For Lewis Hamilton, the 2024 season saw them have the worst season ever in his 17-year-long career so far.
He has not been able to finish higher than sixth place in any of the first four races in 2024. Brundle says the Mercedes team must understand the car because it has been their grave concern over the years. Moreover, the F1 pundit believes that the German outfit has the right people to figure out what’s wrong with the car. If they can’t tell what’s wrong, Brundle says, “I surely can’t.” Martin points out that Mercedes just doesn’t seem to get a handle on the ground effect cars. Moreover, Brundle says, “They always turn up and tell they have aced it, and a lot of positive noises are out there.” But it only takes 48 hours for them to say, “The car was pretty bad.”
Toto Wolff Must Be Frustrated, Feels Chandhok
The Mercedes boss told Sky Sports F1 that their first stint on the hard tires in Suzuka was “Atrocious.” But then again, Toto Wolff also mentioned that the car was getting faster, and in terms of performance, “W15 looked much better than what the final result turned out to be.” This was very confusing for F1 expert Karun Chandhok. Moreover, the F1 pundit felt the Mercedes boss was very frustrated.
Clearly, the results so far have not been pleasing to the eyes of Wolff. Moreover, Chandhok said Wolff is someone who has been very succesful over the years. But since 2022, it has been really tough for the Austrian billionaire executive. And the fact, that he is staring at another season where they are unlikely to win the championship clearly frustrates the Mercedes boss. Chandhok said, “That’s not the level or standard Wolff expects from his team.”
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