Mercedes spill the beans on reasons for “competitiveness drops” in the 2024 season

Mercedes is struggling to pull out better performance out of W15.

Mercedes spill the beans on reasons for “competitiveness drops” in the 2024 season

James Vowles and Lewis Hamilton (Via: Imago)

Mercedes thought their new W15 challenger would help them have a stronger season start, but after preseason testing, they were proven to be wrong. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, two Mercedes drivers, were also pleased with the car’s performance; however, problems they had in Bahrain brought attention to the W15 problems.

In addition to other problems, the car has serious bouncing issues. Due to the team’s repeated failures on the track, drivers have grown bitter about them. In certain speed-sensitive areas, downforce is currently deficient. The team however has managed to draw the pattern according to Mercedes technical director James Allison. 

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If we were trying to draw that pattern together then probably the strongest correlation that we can make at the moment, is that our competitiveness drops when the track is warm, when the day is at its warmest and therefore the tyre temperatures rise with those of the track.
James Allison said via motorsport.com.

Allison is however unsure about whether they will be able to completely resolve all the issues with their new challenger. The car needs more than just a quick fix, the team is currently trying to identify the degree to the changes W15 requires. The process could be tedious and is going to require a lot of patience. However, the team is putting their best foot forward and is putting all its efforts to cure the issues. 

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F1 pundit claims that Toto Wolff’s patience grows precarious 

The team’s inability to perform better back to back for weeks now is putting everyone at Mercedes in a tough spot. As days pass by team is facing more and more issues with their new challenger W15, the car which the team relied it’s hopes on is now crushing them. The Aus GP double DNF was the team’s worst nightmare come true. Despite having a positive outlook team principal could slowly be losing his faith according to Martin Brundle.

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO). Hamilton driving Mercedes W15 (In circle)
Team boss Toto Wolff always has elegant words and phrases to move the story on and refocus for the next race or season, but it must be wearing very thin for him to see the lack of progress. And as often happens in such circumstances, reliability also went out of the window with a bang for Hamilton's power unit.
Martin Brundle said via sky sports.

The team is putting in a lot of overtime to fix the car’s problems. It will be challenging to understand, though, if they have to make adjustments from the ground up because the team will fall further down the rankings. After identifying a recurring pattern, the team will investigate further to determine the underlying cause.

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