Mercedes has been facing difficulties in terms of performance ever since the ground-effect regulations were implemented in 2022. The team has been struggling to find the right balance and has not been able to secure a victory since winning the 2022 championship. The Silver Arrows have had a tough start to the current season as well, which can be attributed to the issues they faced at the beginning of last year.
During the first race weekend in 2022, Lewis Hamilton reflected on the challenges they encountered. The team had to remove 90 aerodynamic load points from the car to address porpoising issues, which resulted in a significant loss of performance. Hamilton mentioned that the more load points they added, the more the car bounced, further hampering their performance.
Despite the frustrations and lack of positive results, the difficult situation served as a source of inspiration for the engineers and crew at Mercedes. They continued to work hard and give their best, even with the declining performance.
In contrast to Mercedes’ struggles, Red Bull has been dominating the new era of Formula 1. They quickly adapted to the new regulations and solved the problems they encountered early on during the testing session in Bahrain in 2022. The RB18 demonstrated better stability on the straights compared to other cars during pre-season.
Red Bull’s ability to develop fast cars can be attributed to their expertise in this area. They have been building on the lessons learned from their difficulties at the start of 2022. As a result, they are likely to continue their dominance in the upcoming seasons before any regulation changes.
Although Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari might provide him with a chance to compete for the championship, his current prospects at Mercedes seem unlikely to offer him that opportunity. Red Bull’s continued dominance suggests that they will be the team to beat in the 2024 season and beyond.