The Silver Arrows carries a glimmer of hope as it persistently refines its W14 Formula 1 car, aiming to reignite its race-winning prowess by the culmination of the 2023 season.
Similar to the challenges faced in 2022, Mercedes once again finds itself struggling to assert dominance at the forefront of the pack in the ongoing campaign.
In response to the new technical regulations introduced last year, the team bid farewell to its ‘zero sidepod’ concept, a departure from its initial approach in pursuit of improved performance.
Mercedes unveiled a wave of upgrades in the illustrious streets of Monaco, marking the beginning of an exciting new development trajectory.
Anticipation builds as the team gears up to unleash their highly anticipated second major update at the upcoming British Grand Prix next month. Spectators eagerly await the potential impact of these advancements on W14’s performance.
Red Bull has established an unprecedented stronghold in the 2023 season, triumphing in all six races thus far, showcasing their dominance. However, Mercedes sets its sights on narrowing the gap and aims to mount a comeback, aiming to challenge the Milton Keynes-based team and close the season with a fierce battle for supremacy.
Mike Elliott, Mercedes’ Chief Technical Officer, in their recent race debrief explained: “I think we are always conscious of the fact that we haven’t produced a car that we want to produce.”
“We haven’t produced a car that you want us to produce and actually it is really nice to be now racing at least for podiums, being able to show what we are capable of doing, and hopefully giving you some enjoyment to be had watching our races.
“And hopefully we can turn that into more upgrades, more performance over the races to come and hopefully start fighting for some victories by the end of the season.”
Buoyed by impressive performances at the Spanish and Canadian Grands Prix, Elliot remains optimistic about Mercedes’ momentum, foreseeing a continuation of their positive form in the forthcoming races in Austria and the UK.
With a promising pace on their side, the team anticipates maintaining their competitive edge as they navigate the challenges that lie ahead.
Having said that Canada was going to be difficult for us, it’s a bit difficult to stand here and say it is hard to say [what tracks will suit the car] because we made a prediction about Canada,” he said.
“But I think it’s always difficult to know. I think where we have seen the car struggling is more in the low-speed corners and so we start looking at circuits that have got more medium and high-speed content; we think we will do better there.
“So, Silverstone will be a good example of that. Austria shouldn’t be too bad for us either. So let’s hope we go well on both of those.”
