Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, outlines the dimensions of change deliberate for subsequent yr to try to eradicate the W14’s dealing with ills; watch the Qatar Grand Prix this week stay on Sky Sports activities F1, with Saturday’s Dash at 6.30pm and Sunday’s GP at 6pm
Final Up to date: 02/10/23 2:44pm
Mercedes’ in-development 2024 Formulation 1 challenger will characterize a “fairly appreciable” change to this yr’s automotive – with the previous champions “not clinging on to any ideas that we have had earlier than” as they bid to return to title-challenging methods.
Talking on the Japanese GP, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin mentioned it was clear this yr’s W14 “does not have sufficient stability” with inadequate downforce which means drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell shouldn’t have the arrogance to completely assault high-speed corners.
Shovlin says Mercedes have set themselves “very formidable targets” to enhance issues for 2024
“We’re altering the automotive fairly significantly for subsequent yr,” he mentioned. “Whether or not or not we are able to clear up all the problems that we have got on the dealing with, that can rely on numerous tasks delivering.
“These tasks are underway. They aren’t full, however now we have received some good instructions to try to enhance that.”
Having already moved growth away throughout this yr from the so-called ‘zero sidepod’ idea that debuted in the beginning of the present guidelines period final yr, Shovlin added: “The automotive can be completely different. We’ve made plenty of modifications to it but it surely’s very early within the growth of the brand new automotive to have the ability to say we have got it sorted.
“Once we launched our greatest automobiles, 2015 or 2019, these years, we did not know they have been going to be nice automobiles once we developed them, you’re simply working as exhausting as you possibly can looking for as a lot efficiency as you possibly can.
“On plenty of these automobiles, we missed targets by fairly a piece by way of efficiency however what we do know is that if you happen to do not set very formidable targets, you are in all probability not setting them excessive sufficient.”
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Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes want the following six months to be the best of their growth historical past to be able to shut the hole on Crimson Bull
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes want the following six months to be the best of their growth historical past to be able to shut the hole on Crimson Bull
The Mercedes engineer was talking the day earlier than the workforce completed 50 seconds behind Max Verstappen at Suzuka and Hamilton mentioned that the previous champions required the “biggest six months of growth that we have ever had” to be able to be “banging on the door” of Crimson Bull in the beginning of 2024.
It’s a problem the seven-time champion made clear he believes Mercedes are greater than able to undertaking.
Shovlin says Hamilton and Russell have been “very aligned” in feeding again concerning the W14’s weak spot factors by means of this season.
“We’re actually not clinging on to any ideas that we have had earlier than,” he added.
“We’re very open-minded. We have had a reasonably chastening couple of years, and we’re a workforce that is working very exhausting to try to get again to the entrance.”
Mercedes nonetheless upgrading this yr’s automotive too
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Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin shares his view on whether or not Lewis Hamilton would have received the Singapore GP had he been in entrance of team-mate George Russell
Mercedes engineer Andrew Shovlin shares his view on whether or not Lewis Hamilton would have received the Singapore GP had he been in entrance of team-mate George Russell
Mercedes’ benefit over Ferrari for second within the standings is 20 factors, with the Scuderia having greater than halved their deficit to their rivals within the 4 races because the summer season break.
With a view to each push on with efficiency this yr and support understanding for subsequent yr’s W15, Mercedes have mentioned there would nonetheless be some extra upgrades dropped at the ultimate six rounds of this season.
Talking of their post-Japan debrief video, Rosie Wait, the workforce’s head of race technique, mentioned: “The brand new components we carry to the observe do each; hopefully they add efficiency and make the present automotive go sooner, however they’re all particularly focused round areas the place we have to additional our understanding.
“The issues we are going to study from testing them this yr will instantly feed into the event of the W15. We additionally mustn’t lose sight of the truth that we’re in a good battle for P2 with Ferrari and that place within the championship is actually vital to all of us. So, now we have upgrades within the pipeline and can proceed to be bringing them to the automotive.”
Will Max Verstappen wrap up his third world championship on the first try on the Qatar GP? Watch each session of the Dash weekend stay on Sky Sports activities F1 from October 6-8. Stream F1 and extra with NOW for £21 a month for six months