The assembly of the front wing and nose for the Mercedes W15.
Mercedes are solving the W15’s issues but Toto Wolff has warned there could be “setbacks” as one duvet isn’t large enough for “feet and head at this stage”.
Mercedes introduced a significantly modified car, the W15, for this racing season. They described it as a “genuine race car” with the potential to compete at the forefront of the grid.
Toto Wolff: I don’t think that the duvet is large enough
So far, the team has only achieved one podium finish, which was Lewis Hamilton’s second place in the rain-affected Chinese sprint race. The qualifying session was mostly cancelled due to heavy rain, and their performance in the Grand Prix races has not been able to reach higher than fifth place.
The drivers are expressing dissatisfaction with the new car’s unpredictable behavior, particularly in fast corners where they feel there is a lack of rear-stability. Hamilton has gone as far as stating that they are “miles off” and in a completely different category. However, he has also voiced complaints about the car’s performance in low-speed corners during the Australian race.
“In Melbourne,” he lamented, “our pace was lacking in the low-speed sections. Conversely, in the previous race [Jeddah], we excelled in the high-speed areas but struggled in the slower sections. This weekend has proven to be a genuine challenge.”
It’s a line Mercedes may yet have to walk in Canada this weekend as the Circuit Gilles Villeueves has a variety of slow and high-speed corners from the 60kph Turn 10 hairpin to Turn 12’s 285kph attack.
Team principal Wolff, speaking to the media including PlanetF1.com in Monaco, expressed his belief that the current efforts are likely to address the issue. He acknowledged that, at this stage, the solution may not fully cover both feet and head, but progress is being made towards achieving that.
“And Montreal stands out as a bit different when it comes to track. We have plans to introduce something new, and the same goes for Barcelona. So, let’s make progress, keeping in mind that there may be obstacles along the way.”
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Tech boss James Allison previously used the analogy of a duvet to explain Mercedes’ approach of not wanting to solve one problem at the expense of another. It’s like dealing with a duvet that is too short at either end – fixing one end may just reveal another issue.
Last month, he mentioned that he believes we are making progress, albeit slowly. He acknowledged that we all encounter this issue and admitted that we have been slower than others in tackling it.
“But I believe that in the upcoming races, you will witness a gradual elimination of this issue.”
Steps have already been taken by Mercedes with the new Monaco GP front wing, as it was tested by George Russell and will also be installed on Hamilton’s car for the Montreal race.
Wolff further stated that when analyzing the gaps, they were very close during the qualifying session and even more so during the race. However, ultimately, the team believes that they are on the right track as the trajectory is heading in the correct direction. They have grasped the necessary adjustments required for the car’s balance.
“We have been gradually introducing improvements to enhance the overall experience. As mentioned yesterday, we have seen a positive upward trend, although it may have some fluctuations like a shell. There will be better and worse tracks along the way, but we are fully satisfied with our approach.”
The key is to consistently improve performance, building upon each race. McLaren made a remarkable leap forward last year, continuously enhancing their functioning concept. Ferrari has been gradually progressing, step by step, and we also had a successful year in terms of improvement.
“We envision ourselves reaching this exact point, and it is undoubtedly an objective we aim to achieve in the near future too.”
Mercedes maintains its position in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship with a total of 96 points, significantly trailing behind the current leaders Red Bull, who have accumulated 276 points.
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