“They can’t do that anymore,” former Sauber engineer says cost cap a major hurdle to Mercedes’ upgrades


“They can’t do that anymore,” former Sauber engineer says cost cap a major hurdle to Mercedes’ upgrades

Mercedes F1

In the turbo-hybrid era, Mercedes has been one of the most successful Formula One teams. Mercedes has dominated the circuits since Lewis Hamilton’s victory streak began in 2014, with a record-breaking 8 Constructors’ Championship championships under their belt. Mercedes turned into an unstoppable power in Formula One with the best drivers to drive for them and the strongest resources to back them up.

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With the announcement of new regulations for the 2022 season of the sport by the FIA, Mercedes seem to be on the back foot. Mercedes have suffered a poor start and has been struggling to find the pace. The W13 has suffered from porpoising and this has made the car unstable in the straights finding itself behind mid-field cars and backmarkers. Mercedes-powered teams have also been struggling for straight-line speed at times compared to those running Ferrari and Red Bull-badged power units. 

While it’s clear that the Eight-time Constructor’s champions haven’t solved their difficulties yet, Julien Simon-Chautemps believes that the cost cap is a major hurdle. He believes they’re withholding information until a B-spec car is ready.

Also Read: “We believe that we’ve found improvements” : Toto Wolff hopes Mercedes…

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Julien Simon-Chautemps on Mercedes: “I’m surprised they haven’t brought more updates quicker.”

Mercedes' W13 challenger
Mercedes’ W13 challenger

Julien Simon-Chautemps worked as an engineer for Sauber, Renault, and Lotus in Formula One for many years and has seen how big teams struggle with these constraints. As a result, he believes Mercedes will soon arrive at the track with a totally new car in one shot.

The Frenchman said, “Yeah, I’m surprised they haven’t brought more updates quicker. It’s clear that they need to understand what’s the problem and clearly, it’s not very clear for them at the moment. Secondly, the fact that there is a budget cap is a big problem for especially a big team [like Mercedes].”

He added, “In the past, they would have brought two, three, four different front wings or floors and tested them; they can’t do that anymore. They’re probably waiting to have a full package… that’s my guess. Instead of bringing a floor, they’re waiting to bring a B-spec car basically. I think that will happen very soon.”

The Team bought new upgrades including a slimmed-down sidepod and aerodynamic mirror featuring vanes resembling a ‘spaceship’ to the W-13 during the Pre-season Testing in Bahrain. Despite their apparent struggles, Mercedes have still managed 2 unlikely podiums in Bahrain and Melbourne claimed by Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Ferrari comfortably sits on top of the Constructor’s championship with a 49 point lead on Mercedes in second place.

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