The Mammoth Mountain of Mercedes was weathered down to small pieces by the exogenic force of the ‘ground effect.’ Before the 2022 regulatory tweak, the Silver Arrows enjoyed a reign of domination as they won consecutive world titles. However, the ground effect became its kryptonite, and the team’s victory ride got off track.
Since then, the engineers at Brackely have tried numerous setups to find a solution. However, to their despair, nothing has quite re-ignited the fire. Moreover, the team hoped for a turnaround in the 2024 season. However, the results contradicted their desires, and the German Marque was again in trouble. Then came the Canadian Grand Prix, and suddenly, the W15 emerged as the fastest car in the field. Thus, the technical head, James Allison, explained the process that helped the tomato re-discover the mojo.
‘Oh God, How Could We Have Been So Dumb?’ James Allison Reflects On The ‘Silly Mistakes’
In the 2022 regulation revamp, the FIA introduced the ‘ground effect’ concept and a new front-wing concept to diminish the ‘bad air.’ Earlier, due to the heavy air thrown toward the chasing cars, overtaking was almost impossible. However, with this slight adjustment, the angle of bad air was directed upwards. While Mercedes struggled to crack the ‘ground-effect’ nut, the front wings became its grasping straw. Although the W15 project was expected to perform well, the underlying balance issue made controlling unattainable.
Therefore, the technical crew consistently tried to solve the puzzle. Finally, after the Canada GP, they might have pressed the right key. The technical head, James Allison, explained the key developments that throttled the F1 car to the top. On the Grid Podcast, Allison claimed the dual nature of W15 to be its biggest foe. He outlined the hidden ‘devil’ that made riding simultaneously on high-speed corners and slow corners beyond reach. Further, the car designer elucidated the changes made by the team that helped the W15 perform evenly throughout a tricky circuit. Thus, the car can ‘trust’ the front and rear axle in high- and slow-speed corners.
Furthermore, the British motorsport designer professed the importance of balance, as the driver should be aware of the car’s trajectory. He hailed the latest front-wing development, as it helps the car travel at a consistent pace. Earlier, the team struggled to counter the aerodynamic woes, and the front wings have been the game-changer. On a lighter note, Allison said this was more of an ‘Oh God, How could we be so dumb’ moment for the team. This is because the team could not fix the fundamental issues; thus, he believes this is not mainly an ‘Eureka Moment.’ The technical director is confident that the car will perform well on every circuit. Therefore, he claimed it to be among the fastest F1 projects in the upcoming times.
Can Mercedes Maintain Their Performance? Former World Champion Answers
While the recent improvement has filled the Mercedes camp with optimism, the former world champion issued a stern warning. During a Sky F1 podcast, Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, appreciated the team’s efforts while warning them about Barcelona.
Hill said the Silver Arrows are happy as the front wings have done the trick. However, he claimed that Montereal was an outlier track. Thus, he believed the upcoming Barcelona GP would be the real test for the Brackley-based outfit.