The occurrence that was prevalent during the team’s 2022 season has mostly vanished with this year’s W14, aided by adjustments in regulations during the winter.
However, both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell expressed concerns about the issue at Spa. Russell specifically mentioned encountering a significant amount of it.
Elliott states that the team needs to figure out if it was specific to the track or connected to the configuration. This is because, according to the rules of the sprint event, Mercedes and other F1 competitors had only one wet FP1 session to fine-tune their cars, and no modifications could be made afterward.
Elliott considers it unlikely, but recent car updates may have influenced the situation.
“I cannot reword”
“We also observed some bouncing occurring on the other cars, which I believe is partly due to the characteristics of the Spa circuit. In fact, last year many teams experienced significant bouncing as well.”
The performance of the cars is undoubtedly impacted by this factor as it influences the drivers’ capacity to fully utilize the car’s grip, maintain balance, and accurately determine their braking points.
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14
Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
In relation to the team’s inquiry, he expressed, “This is an area we will focus on in the coming times. We must consider whether the issues stem from the specific circuit in Spa or if they are related to our overall setup. It is important to note that the race weekend was affected by rain, and we had no opportunity for practice under dry conditions until the actual race.”
“We will thoroughly examine the upgrade kit to ensure that we have not caused any bouncing issues. However, currently, we believe that any problems are likely due to the setup or the circuit itself.”
Elliott observed that the limited time for practice sessions played a role in the divergent aero packages chosen by Russell and Hamilton at Spa. Russell ultimately decided on a higher downforce level compared to Hamilton.
“I cannot reword”
“So both drivers completed the program prior to the Spa race weekend, and George found that the larger rear wing provided him with additional choices.”
“He chose to begin the race weekend with that because he enjoyed the car’s balanced driving experience.”
“And typically, the two drivers usually meet during the race weekend. However, due to the heavy rain this weekend, there was no opportunity for them to practice on a dry track. Surprisingly, both drivers were satisfied with the cars they were assigned and chose to remain in their positions.”
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