Mercedes has divulged that its scheduled upgrades will intend to resolve the “underlying balance” issues it has encountered this season with its 2024 Formula 1 car.
The German marque has endured its worst start to an F1 campaign since 2011 this term with a total of 52 points from the opening five rounds and no podium finish.
A seventh and ninth-place finish in China last weekend prompted Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to assert it can’t fixate on the “bright spots” its W15 machine has shown.
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison has echoed Wolff’s comments that the squad will introduce new parts to its unpredictable car at the next round in Miami.
While Wolff is hopeful of a “big step” arriving from the outset in the United States, Allison has revealed that Mercedes also has additional developments in the pipeline.
Expanding upon the aim of the nascent updates, Allison explained that Mercedes would attempt to create a wider operating window with a more benign handling car.
“We’ve got upgrade packages coming to the car but also components that we hope will rectify the underlying balance that is causing us difficulty,” Allison said in Mercedes’ video review.
“Much as it’s painful to talk in this way after a weekend like this, I just have to remember that there’ll be races in the future when we’ve executed those things, when we’re back more on the front foot and when we’re progressing, where the pleasure of talking about it will be massive, and that day can’t come soon enough.”
Allison conceded that Mercedes’ struggles were accentuated at the Shanghai International Circuit and compromised Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s prospects.
“We’ve had something of a front-limited car all year, especially in the lower-speed corners, and that was really amped up to 11 this weekend,” he said.
“Once you’ve got front tyres that don’t want to go around the corner, that means the drivers have to wait an eon to get on the power on the exit of the corner, you haemorrhage lap time there.
“In extremis, actually to make the car go around the corner, they have to boot it around the corner with the throttle to loosen up the rear end somewhat, and that kills the rear tyres so you end up overheating on the rear as a result of being front-limited.
“It’s no pleasure at all to be taken from a weekend which, even though competently executed and well driven by both guys – no pleasure at all when the hardware itself is not where it needs to be or should be.
“Of course, the challenge that we face in the coming races is to try and move both the set-up of the car and also the pieces that we bring to the car so that that’s improved.”
Hamilton had capitalised on circumstances to attain second place in the China Sprint but rued ambitious set-up changes contributing to his premature Q1 elimination.
Allison has admitted Mercedes must learn from that experience to ensure it avoids replicating taking a backwards step when the Sprint format is used again in Miami.
“We learnt during this weekend that if you’re going to be ambitious, be ambitious in the Sprint and then tune it down for the main race rather than the opposite way around,” he noted.
“Hopefully we’ll land a car in a better place, that the upgrades that we’re going to bring to Miami serve us well in a grid that in qualifying at least is really close.
“Around the part of the battle we’re fighting, a few hundredths can make a difference sometimes and a couple of tenths would make all the difference in the world.
“So, looking forward to seeing how that all plays out.”
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