Mercedes has a deep problem with their car. Apparently, they haven’t fixed their car since last year. Once upon a time, a team used to dominate the F1 grid, but they are barely managing a P2 finish at present. It is not a great sight for the fans of the Silver Arrows or Lewis Hamilton. Since the last year, the rival Red Bull has reached a different level of dominance. The Austrian team went on to win 17 last year and 21 races this year.
It is quite an extraordinary hegemony any team can even dream of enjoying. What made the real difference was the car of the two teams. Since the cost cap era began, Mercedes suddenly looked a bit out of place. Moreover, they only managed to win a single race in the last two years. Anyhow, F1 Pundit Martin Brundle believes Mercedes will face an uphill task to bounce back next season. They should have had a better season in terms of the car.
F1 Pundit Feels Mercedes Has A Lot To Prove Next Year
Brundle states the German team is clearly not the force they have been in the past. In a Q&A round with Sky F1 mentioned the problem is Mercedes went in the wrong direction in 2022. But they didn’t fix it in 2023. Then, a lot of employees from the golden era of Mercedes went to different teams. Moreover, Brundle suggests that no matter what Mercedes is, it is a mighty team. However, they are in desperate need to align their stars. The next season is going to be a big one for their future. Moreover, it can answer a lot of questions regarding what their future looks like.
Anyway, Martin Brundle gave his opinion about which Mercedes driver has a better chance to win the title if they get the best car. The F1 pundit said they are very close, but Russell had a few terrible races last season. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton knows how to win titles. However, George Russell has the youth in his favor. Hence, it will come down to Hamilton’s motivation to keep going and try and win the coveted eighth world championship.
The Flawed Zero Sidepod Concept Ruined The Last Two Seasons For The Silver Arrows
In 2022, the German team struggled with porpoising issues that caused some uncontrollable bouncing of the car. Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had several races where they ended up with bruises along with neck and back pain. But this year, the engineers in Brackley did a great job to control the bouncing. However, the W14 car was very inconsistent and had major problems facing slow downforce tracks. On top of that, Hamilton said he had problems with the seat position as well.
Anyway, after a lot of upgrades, the drivers managed a few podium finishes. But they didn’t have any luck to win a race or beat Red Bull this year. Moreover, both Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton can agree that they need a whole different setup for the car. The zero-side pod concept since last year has been the main reason behind Mercedes’ struggle.
