“We are not that far from Ferrari and Red Bull,” Andrew Shovlin provides Mercedes fans ‘hope’ ahead of Belgian GP
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Mercedes W13
Mercedes was on the money in the last few races before the summer break where they were able to unlock the potential of the W13. The Brackley-based team managed four podiums in the last two races and during the Hungarian Grand Prix, were also able to finish ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull during the Qualifying session.
George Russell put in a stonking lap that was good enough to go to the top of the timing charts. Moreover, in Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton was super fast and was able to continue his form during the French and Hungarian Grand Prix.
The team has been on an upward trajectory and its trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin has indicated that the resurgence in the form of the team has been because of the more aggressive approach that they have adopted in recent times.
The team has become aggressive in terms of tire temperatures by functioning on the rim baskets which, through the brake air intakes, helps in regulating the heat of the tires.
Mercedes has found an ideal operating temperature that has helped the Silver Arrows in being ridiculously fast on a single lap without making too many compromises for the race day. Moreover, the tire degradation on Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s cars has been in the same corridors as its competitors.
Also Read: WATCH: When Cristiano Ronaldo’s son sat in Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes challenger in Monaco
Mercedes could potentially challenge Ferrari and Red Bull in the second half of the season
The form that Mercedes has shown recently has made many people believe that after the summer break, they would be able to go wheel to wheel with the front-running teams.
Moreover, it is a common rumor that the new derivatives that FIA has brought regarding porpoising could potentially turn out in favor of Mercedes and can harm the performance potential of its competitors.
The W13 is all set to get new upgrades till the end of the 2022 F1 season and the new innovations for the upcoming Belgian Grand Prix could give an indicator as to what they have got in store for the second leg of the season.
Andrew Shovlin while dwelling over the situation has said, “This car is engineering annoying because it lets you glimpse flashes of potential that push you to update the project or at least not to abandon it. In Hungary, we got the tire operating window perfectly right, but it is something that we cannot assume will happen in the next stages. In any case, we are not that far from Ferrari and Red Bull and we will bring updates to fill this gap.”
Shovlin has given a ray of hope to the Mercedes fans and considering what the Brit has said about the team, it seems they are preparing for war and are going to give their everything in order to close the gap to the top two teams. How much of a difference do you think the new upgrades will be able to make for the Silver Arrows going into the last 9 races of the season?
Also Read: Hans-Joachim Stuck: “Max Verstappen has a quality that Ayrton Senna also mastered exceptionally”
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)