Mercedes AMG F1 W15 driver Lewis Hamilton participated in the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix on 07.04.2024. Mercedes recently explained their decision-making process for attempting a one-stop race during the event. Starting in seventh and ninth position, Mercedes chose to switch from the Medium to the Hard compound during a red flag caused by a crash. This decision aimed to eliminate the need for a pit stop. However, the team’s pace in the first stint forced them to abandon this strategy and switch to a two-stop race on the Medium tyre. Mercedes revealed that their allocation for the race and the lack of threat from behind influenced George Russell and Lewis Hamilton to experiment with alternative strategies. Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin discussed this in the team’s Japan review video, stating that the decision was made to differentiate from the other top 10 teams. Red Bull and Ferrari had opted for two Medium compounds, while Mercedes and McLaren had chosen two Hards. With limited information on the performance comparison between the Hard and Medium compounds, Mercedes believed that using two Hards would make it easier to achieve a one-stop race. Additionally, the lack of threat from other teams further down the grid allowed Mercedes to offset their strategy accordingly.
Shovlin has emphasized that the deterioration concerns both drivers were facing on their aging tires worsened the time loss out of the slower-speed corners.
The advantage gained over their competitors during that period resulted in George Russell finishing seventh, while Lewis Hamilton came in ninth in a car with damage.
“The problem was that our performance at the end of our long stint was not satisfactory. We were declining,” Shovlin added.
“We lost a significant amount of time in traffic, but fundamentally we were not fast enough, and we are currently trying to comprehend that.
“The tires in Suzuka become quite hot. There is some overheating, and when there is traffic, the grip decreases, causing more sliding. Specifically, we struggled with the slower corners.
“There is a hairpin and a slow chicane as well. Those were the areas where we were losing a considerable amount of time.
“It was challenging to maneuver the car, and it was costing us in both of those corners.
“And as the tires aged, the sliding increased, and the temperatures rose, which only compounded the issue.”
While Mercedes’ strategy backfired in Suzuka, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc managed to execute a one-stop plan, starting from eighth on the grid and recovering to a fourth-place finish.
Shovlin has admitted that Mercedes is working hard to determine the reason for their comparatively slower performance on a shorter stint compared to Leclerc.
“I can’t say that we fully understand the issue at this moment. It’s still very soon after the race,” he continued.
“That is one of the tasks we will be diving into in the next few days, trying to figure out exactly what happened and why we dropped off much more than Leclerc, who had a very impressive first stint that lasted much longer.”