Since 2022, the Mercedes team has been drenched in a relentless struggle. The penultimate race of the 2021 season not only cost the eight-time Constructors’ Champions their shot at the world title but also seemed to erode their competitive edge. Since then, they have faced a series of technical difficulties. James Allison likened the Mercedes F1 project to a small duvet, indicating that some areas always remain unaddressed.
As 2024 unfolds, the team continues to confront challenges despite glimpses of a potential resurgence. They secured three victories this season, but the situation has worsened since the summer break. At the recent US Grand Prix, the technical team rolled out a significant upgrade, but Lewis Hamilton and George Russell ended up stranded, damaging their W15 cars. The situation worsened at the Mexico Grand Prix when Russell collided with Oscar Piastri, causing additional harm to the F1 car. As the season concludes, the Silver Arrows are working to manage their cost cap effectively. Therefore, the team is keen to experiment instead of working on any fresh upgrades.
Mercedes To Focus On “Experiments” Rather Than New Upgrades For Remainder Of 2024 Season
Following three significant crashes in recent races, Mercedes is facing a shortage of spare parts. Although the team is not worried about exceeding the cost cap, it has decided against introducing any new upgrades for the season’s remaining races. Instead, the focus will be on experimenting with the car in preparation for the 2025 season, when Andrea Kimi Antonelli will join George Russell as a teammate.
The trackside engineering chief, Andrew Shovlin, explained that this period presents a valuable opportunity for the team to conduct further experimentation during race weekends. The primary goal is to ensure they gather essential insights before the 2025 season begins. While there won’t be any major updates to the car, Mercedes may test some small pieces of bodywork, but these efforts will primarily be aimed at future development.
In the recent Mexico race, Mercedes implemented a split-spec strategy, with Russell using the Silverstone upgrades while Lewis Hamilton was equipped with the latest components. This setup allowed the team to compare the two configurations directly. Although the team finished fourth and fifth, with Hamilton leading, Shovlin noted that the data collected was not ideal due to both cars encountering traffic throughout the race. This congestion can skew analysis and affect performance assessments. Despite these challenges, Shovlin mentioned that the data collected indicated that the update kit was functioning as anticipated and providing the expected performance benefits. The team is eager to continue its learning process in Brazil, hoping for cleaner laps and more comprehensive data collection with the updated kit.
Lewis Hamilton Calls His Sprint Race Experience “Horrendous”
Lewis Hamilton had a challenging experience during the sprint race, describing it as “horrendous.” He expressed his disappointment, noting that the race felt worse than his earlier qualifying session. Hamilton emphasized his difficulty, stating that it was one of the worst races he had endured as he struggled with the car’s performance. He reported that the car was sliding around and lacked grip, making it hard for him to keep up even with the Williams drivers.
Looking ahead, Hamilton acknowledged the significant work needed to improve the car’s setup. He indicated that the team would need to make substantial changes to the vehicle to enhance performance for qualifying.
