Lewis Hamilton openly acknowledges that the development efforts put into the W14 by Mercedes have not yielded the anticipated rewards thus far.
However, the team remains focused on its long-term strategy, envisioning a remarkable gain of one second over Red Bull.
Despite the current setbacks, Hamilton’s optimism and determination shine through, as he eagerly awaits the forthcoming progress in the team’s pursuit of success.
Following the season opener in Bahrain, Mercedes astutely recognized that their decision to adhere to the ‘zero-pod’ concept was a misstep.
Consequently, they swiftly redirected their attention towards charting a new course, as they strive to regain their prominent position as eight-time Constructors’ champions.
With an unwavering commitment to excellence, Mercedes is steadfastly exploring fresh avenues to propel itself back to the forefront of the competition.
The illustrious Monaco Grand Prix witnessed the highly anticipated unveiling of Mercedes’ revamped W14 challenger. This remarkable evolution entailed a shift towards a sidepod design that closely mirrored the dominant Red Bull team’s approach, accompanied by a myriad of other notable modifications, including a brand-new floor.
With this bold transformation, Mercedes aims to harness the best of engineering ingenuity to elevate their performance and contend with utmost vigor on the race track.
Monaco proved to be an imperfect setting for assessing the effectiveness of the upgrades. Moreover, it was not the preferred location for their initial unveiling, as Imola intended to showcase the alterations before the unfortunate cancellation of the event.
However, all eyes are now set on the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, renowned for its comprehensive challenges, has long been a favored venue for testing. It is here that Mercedes anticipates gaining valuable insights into the extent of their improvements.
Nonetheless, Lewis Hamilton made it abundantly clear that this is only the beginning of their journey. Based on the available data, Mercedes is increasingly confident that by the final stage, they should have gained a significant advantage of a full second over Red Bull’s current race pace.
While Red Bull is unlikely to remain stagnant, even with their limited wind tunnel time, such a substantial gain, as projected, would almost certainly diminish, if not completely eradicate, the advantage they presently hold over their former title rivals.
Ferrari abandons their previous sidepod concept and embraces a philosophy akin to Red Bull’s approach.
Ferrari abandons their previous sidepod concept and embraces a philosophy akin to Red Bull’s approach.
Helmut Marko takes another jibe at Mercedes following the revelation of Ferrari’s new floor design in Monaco.
When questioned prior to the Spanish Grand Prix about the potential pace enhancement offered by the upgraded Mercedes W14, Hamilton replied:
“Well, it’s not the step forward that we were hoping for, the true step forward we’re hoping for is, there’s been around a one-second delta [to Red Bull] in race trim, for example.
“We haven’t covered that with this step, but it is a step in the right direction.
“What I felt last weekend was I felt a little bit more confident in the car, more ability to be able to commit to the corner.
“So, I’m hoping that at this track, that’s the same, but hopefully better.
“There’s a lot of medium and high-speed corners. I’m hoping the flow of the car is better [here]. Maybe in following, we can follow closer.
“There’s a huge amount of work that’s gone into this and we’re hoping that it puts us on the right track.
“We’re changing train tracks. But putting us on the track can lead to that second.
“When you bring upgrades, naturally you should be progressing forwards and the fact is it is an improvement, it’s just not the improvement that we had dreamed of.
“But it’s one step at a time. I don’t feel any negativity towards it. I’m grateful we have it. Partly, it’s because I understand how much work has gone into making these parts.
“The rush that has gone on, the amount of work, everyone is hugely flat out and really hungry to move the car in the right direction.
“So, I would say that I’m just hopeful that it puts us on a better track that can progress from here on.”
In Barcelona, Mercedes will not be the only team unveiling upgraded challengers, as their immediate rivals Aston Martin and Ferrari are also set to showcase their enhanced machines. Among the two, Ferrari is anticipated to present a more comprehensive package of alterations.
This includes their departure from a distinctive sidepod design, following in the footsteps of Mercedes. The stage is set for an intense battle of innovation and engineering prowess as these teams strive to gain a competitive edge on the demanding Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
According to Hamilton, the upgraded W14 would have been…“quite close” for pace with those two rival challengers, so now Hamilton waits to see how effective they will be, nonetheless stating that he is “still hopeful that we can compete with them this weekend”, even if it is a “big hope”.
