Mercedes F1 News: Director Reveals Team Now Knows Problem Behind W15 Performance Woes

Saajan Jogia | Apr 11, 2024

Mercedes AMG Petronas driver Lewis Hamilton rounds turn 17 during the first F1 practice at Circuit / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

Following a disappointing beginning to the 2024 F1 season, Mercedes is confident it has identified the root cause of the issues affecting the W15's performance after conducting a 'test' at Suzuka. As the Chinese Grand Prix approaches in just over a week, the team is fully prepared to diligently address and overcome these challenges.

Key Takeaways:

• Mercedes has pinpointed the root cause of the W15's performance issues after conducting a test at Suzuka, following a disappointing start to the 2024 F1 season.
• Despite another challenging race weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton qualifying in P7 and George Russell in P9, the team remains determined to overcome these challenges ahead of the upcoming Chinese Grand Prix.
• Mercedes currently sits in fourth place in the Constructors' Standings with 34 points, closely followed by Aston Martin in fifth place with 33 points, but faces a considerable gap of 107 points behind championship leader Red Bull.

The team faced another challenging race weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton qualifying in P7 and George Russell in P9. However, Russell crossed the finish line ahead of Hamilton as both drivers finished P7 and P9.

With four races already ticked off the 24-race season, the Brackley squad is yet to secure a podium finish. So far, Russell's P5 finish in Bahrain has been the best, causing many to wonder if Mercedes' entirely 'new car' is capable of competing at the front.

Despite the setback, team principal Toto Wolff maintained a positive perspective, characterizing their performance at Suzuka as an opportunity for testing. This approach has yielded a notable breakthrough in their understanding of the W15.

Speaking as part of Mercedes’ post-Japanese Grand Prix debrief, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin highlighted a wind and temperature-sensitive characteristic of the car that came in the way of performance in Japan. Speaking to the media, he said:

“The big program we were looking at was to try and get the car a bit more predictable through the weekend.

“What we found is that we can get it in a window but if the wind changes, the track temp changes, it quickly falls out of it and that was leading to poor performance in race and qualifying.

“Now there’s no doubt that we’re not where we need to be at the moment, we know that and we know that we’ve got work to do, but certainly working with the car across the weekend was easier, the balance of the car was more consistent, there are issues that we need to get on top of and get on top of quickly.

“But certainly, we seem to have a more stable platform, one where its behavior through the whole weekend is more consistent, but as I said, we know that there’s work to do and we’ll be working on that immediately.”

In the Constructors' Standings, Mercedes holds the fourth position with 34 points, closely pursued by Aston Martin in fifth place with 33 points. However, the considerable gap of 107 points behind the championship leader, Red Bull, underscores the significant challenge ahead.