The first pole position of the season was achieved by the German manufacturer at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton narrowly defeated Max Verstappen by a margin of 0.003 seconds to claim the top spot on the starting grid.
Hamilton’s Mercedes W14 was unable to compete with Verstappen’s Red Bull during the race. As a result, Hamilton dropped down the rankings and ultimately finished fourth, nearly 40 seconds behind the race winner.
Verstappen dominated the Hungaroring race, finishing a whopping 33 seconds ahead of Lando Norris’s McLaren. It is evident that Red Bull’s competitors must significantly improve their cars during the upcoming winter period.
Mercedes has already discussed significant alterations being implemented for its W15, and team manager Toto Wolff has now revealed the extent of potential differences.
Wolff mentioned ongoing detailed analysis of various ideas implemented by other teams, regarding the differences being addressed for 2024.
“He explained that in 2024, we require numerous alterations, and the path our team is progressing on is truly fascinating.”
“We are actively seeking opportunities and not avoiding any challenges. We are thoroughly exploring every idea we have come across in other vehicles, leaving no possibility unexamined.”
“That is whether that’s powerful or not, and whether it’s of any use for us, without letting ourselves be distracted from the way we operate, and the way we analyse. We are going to come up good.”
Toto Wolff, the Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes-AMG, is getting ready to offer Mario Isola, the Racing Manager of Pirelli Motorsport, a thrilling experience in an AMG Mercedes with Pirelli Hot Laps.
Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
While outside talk of concept change at Mercedes in the past has mainly revolved around its sidepod design, the team’s engineers view things slightly differently.
Instead, their idea of a concept change revolves around the set-up and operating window of the car, and especially where it runs in relation to the track surface.
The performance of the W13 car was affected due to its design intention of running as low to the ground as feasible, a task that proved unmanageable due to the porpoising phenomenon.
The team adopted a distinct strategy for this season, but their attempt to operate the car at a wider range of conditions, influenced in part by raising the floor edges by 15mm, was not successful as it did not generate sufficient downforce compared to competitors who had a lower car position.
The car underwent changes for the Monaco Grand Prix, specifically altering its sidepods to eliminate any impact from its ‘zero-pod’ concept on its poor performance. These modifications have improved certain aspects, but the team acknowledges that further improvements are necessary.
Wolff clarified that the team had no excuses for losing races to Red Bull in Hungary in the manner they did.
“He expressed that it is a harsh reality to have a car in front, which is 38 seconds ahead of Hamilton, and likely has been cruising for a significant duration.”
“It is a system based on merit, and as long as you operate within the established rules, you can be confident that you have performed well overall. It is important for us to recognize this.”
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