Lewis Hamilton, representing Great Britain, drove the Mercedes AMG F1 W15 car during the Formula 1 World Championship in Saudi Arabia on March 8, 2024. Despite facing difficulties in the race, Mercedes is unwilling to compromise the strengths of their 2024 Formula 1 car to improve its high-speed performance. The team finished as the fifth-best team on the road, with George Russell in sixth place and Lewis Hamilton in ninth. Mercedes consistently struggled in the high-speed sections of the track, particularly in the opening sector, which resulted in Hamilton getting stuck behind McLaren’s Lando Norris. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff acknowledged that there was a correlation problem between the simulation suggestions and the actual race track. Mercedes Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin also highlighted that the team has a “fundamental” problem with their W15 challenger. According to Shovlin, the limitations faced in both qualifying and the race were not minor differences but rather a more fundamental issue that needs to be understood. Despite trying a more loaded rear wing during the final practice session, both Mercedes drivers chose to run a lower downforce configuration. Shovlin stated that Mercedes will not sacrifice straight-line speed to address their high-speed weakness, even though they were losing time in those areas. Instead, they aim to find ways to improve the first sector without compromising their speed in other sectors.
Shovlin has identified three factors contributing to the recent predicament of Mercedes, but he emphasized that the main deficiency compared to their rivals lies in the lack of overall traction.
“One of the reasons was the imbalance was not ideal,” he remarked. “So, in those high-speed turns, where the walls are in close proximity, drivers require a significant amount of confidence. However, we often experienced sudden oversteer when they pushed the limits of the tires. One can easily imagine how unsettling that is for the drivers. This played a role in both qualifying and the race.
“In qualifying, we also encountered some issues with bouncing. However, this problem was less prominent in the race. With more fuel in the car and a slower pace, it seemed to subside and was not as problematic.
“Lastly, the major issue lies in the lack of grip. This is something we are diligently working on this week because the corners in Melbourne have a similar nature. We are investing considerable effort in understanding why we did not possess the same level of grip as some of our closest competitors.”
With a two-week hiatus before the next race in Australia, Shovlin explained that Mercedes is fully committed to meticulously analyzing the data in order to find solutions.
“We are thoroughly examining the data from Jeddah,” Shovlin stated.
“We are also reviewing the data from the Bahrain race and the Bahrain test, and we will formulate a plan for how we approach free practice in Melbourne.
“However, our approach is not solely based on our performance in Jeddah. There is extensive work being conducted within the aerodynamics department and vehicle dynamics department. We are devising experiments that will hopefully provide us with a performance-oriented direction.”