In 2024, at the Miami Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton will be driving the Mercedes W15.
Mercedes technical director James Allison said the team narrowed their deficit to the front “by a tenth or two” at Imola, with further upgrades on the horizon.
After McLaren fired the first shot by winning the Miami Grand Prix via Lando Norris in the upgraded MCL38, Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Aston Martin responded with upgrades for the following round at Imola.
Mercedes ‘pretty happy’ with Imola ‘gentle step forward’
Once again, Norris bravely challenged Max Verstappen from Red Bull during the race at Imola, narrowly missing out by a mere seven-tenths of a second at the finish line. Meanwhile, Ferrari followed closely behind, with Mercedes securing a comfortable sixth and seventh place finish.
The Imola upgrades marked the completion of a package for the W15 that was initially introduced in Miami. Allison revealed that Mercedes has made significant progress since the start of the season, closing the gap to the frontrunners by “several tenths of a second”, with the Imola improvements contributing around “a tenth or two” to this advancement.
When asked about the success of the upgrades during Mercedes’ Imola GP debrief, Allison confirmed that they met their expectations. He explained that the upgrades introduced in the previous race were continued in Imola, and they were able to successfully complete that stage.
Comparing the effectiveness of your equipment on a constantly changing playing field makes it difficult to assess. Several other teams, like Ferrari in Imola and McLaren in the previous race, have introduced new gear, adding to the challenge.
“You may assess various aspects of your car, but the true measure of success lies in whether it propelled you forward. Upgrades serve the purpose of advancing your position on the grid in a significant manner. Judging by the race pace observed in Imola, I would argue that we have made a slight but positive progress.”
“We have made significant progress since the beginning of the year, now being closer to the front by a few tenths of a second. In the Imola race, we managed to further reduce the gap by a tenth or two. This has left us quite satisfied.”
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As for Mercedes’ future plans, Allison mentioned that additional updates for the W15 will be introduced in Monaco, Canada, and beyond. The reigning eight-time Constructors’ champions aim to “make their way up the grid” with these advancements.
Allison confessed, “It has definitely been a challenging situation. Currently, the factory is operating with a sense of urgency, as if it were at war. The upgrade package was initially planned to arrive as a whole, but we decided to expedite the process by bringing forward whatever components were available, allowing us to receive it slightly earlier.”
“We have made significant efforts so far, and our current task is to ensure that we maintain the same level of momentum.”
“We will continuously receive additional components for the car, including aerodynamic parts, which will arrive in time for Monaco, followed by Canada, and subsequent races. Our team will persistently work on enhancing our assets at the factory, focusing on lap time optimization to design, build, and implement these upgrades onto the car. Our ultimate goal is to steadily climb up the grid, making our presence known.”
Mercedes sit P4 in the Constructors’ Championship ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, 75 points behind McLaren.
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