“It is enjoyable to have a very different challenge,” Andrew Shovlin believes Mercedes have had to deal with a unique set of problems
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Mercedes W13
After dominating the hybrid era and winning 8 constructors championships, it was clear that Mercedes was the team to be in and the team to beat for 2022. With Lewis Hamilton being paired against George Russell, it was certain that the team would perform really well. Although this wasn’t the case which surprised everyone in the paddock.
The 2022 rules and regulations threw Mercedes back into the midfield. If you would have told someone last year that a Mercedes would have been fighting with a Haas in the opening round of the season, they would have not believed you. Although this was the case of what happened and was a testament to how hard the team had fallen this season.
After bringing out a revolutionary sidepod design during F1 Testing, everyone thought that the team would very much destroy the competition. Their design failed miserably and the porpoising issues started. Out of all the teams, Mercedes seemed to be the one who struggled a lot with porpoising and this affected the drivers too. Although the team has since made a lot of improvements to bring new upgrades and has made the most out of every opportunity.
“Engineers like having problems to solve,” Mercedes’s Andrew Shovlin on their situation in 2022
“It is enjoyable to have a very different challenge,” he said. “There were certainly parts early in the year that weren’t enjoyable, and that within the team were quite stressful and more than we would have asked for. But actually, engineers like having problems to solve. And there were also periods where we were dominant, and we didn’t really have any close competition, that it did become a bit dull and a bit predictable,” he said.
“So all these challenges are actually what help stretch you. At the moment we have got a good development rate. And if we can develop our way back to the front, I think the team will get its confidence back. But so far this year, it has just been a case of rebuilding the confidence of a team that was very strong and that has had a bit of a shock. So it’s been a difficult but good challenge for us,” he continued.
After being so dominant in the hybrid era, it surely is a relief to see different teams fighting for the top spot. This might change next year with the amount of development and preparations that are in place at Mercedes for the 2023 F1 season. Soon they will score podiums on true pace and not when a Redbull or Ferrari driver fails to finish the race.
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Varad Joshi
(940 Articles Published)