Mercedes might have lost an entire season, but at no cost will they ever stop bringing innovations in their car. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why the team succeeded in reigning for eight consecutive years in the past. These new unique concepts that Mercedes brings each year to differentiate the team from others, preventing it from copying others. In 2023, when almost all the teams preferred copying Red Bull’s RB18 idea following their dominative double championship win last year. On the other hand, Mercedes, who was defeated in 21 out of the 22 races held last year, stuck with their own concept of side pods.
It was a great yet scary step taken by Mercedes. But as its principal, Toto Wolff suggested that the zero pods were not something that had an impact on W13’s performance last year. They continued promoting in the upcoming season. And also the fact that Lewis Hamilton mentioned, “We are not the one who copies others”. Therefore, they just carried the side pods in the W14 instead of doing something like Red Bull. But now one of the former World champion Damon Hill is afraid that “Mercedes might be cutting off their nose to spite their face.”
Mercedes Has Been Advised By Damon Hill To Swallow Their Pride
Unfortunately, the W14 did not match expectations in the three days test run at Bahrain International Circuit. So far, no porpoising issues have been speculated in the new car. But it is still off the pace, imbalanced, and full of occasional reliability issues. And this made Hill recognize that perhaps Red Bull’s side pod design is better. Aston Martin followed Red Bull’s concept and looked at them. But unexpectedly, they have been doing better than Mercedes in the first test runs.
Damon Hill recently emerged to show his concerns regarding Mercedes’s pride that they attain by not copying others. This may lead them to drown too. He believes that Aston Martin is doing quite well this year why? Because “it’s gone down that kind of side pod idea.” he said. But what Mercedes have said about sticking with their own makes Hill say, “I wonder whether there is a little bit of pride involved where they go as ‘we don’t want to copy them [Red Bull and Aston Martin].” With this mindset, Damon fears that Mercedes will have to cut their nose off in “spite of their face.”
“Doing What Red Bull Did Is Not Copying Lewis Hamilton” – Damon Hill
This is not the time when Mercedes should play with their dignity thing. Instead, they should do what’s right and fastest for the team. The 1996 F1 world champion knows that he can get allegations like he has no faith in the good guys working at Mercedes, but “I am sure they know what they are doing,” he said.
Hill further commented on Lewis Hamilton’s statement about copying others’ ideas. “It is not copying like Hamilton. Rather, it is the direction things are going, and we have to either swallow our pride.” Damon suggests that Red Bull has come up with a better idea and accepts it is not copying. “Swallow your pride and save yourself,” Damon Hill suggests the Silver Arrows.