George Russell, a British driver for Mercedes AMG F1, is convinced that the team’s redesigned Formula 1 car for 2024 has addressed the underlying issues that held them back in the past. In the previous season, Mercedes had chosen to stick with the ‘zeropod’ solution after seeing some promising results towards the end of the 2022 campaign. However, the revisions made to the design were not enough to make it a championship contender. As a result, Mercedes decided to make significant upgrades to the car. Despite finishing in second place in the championship, the team was a staggering 451 points behind Red Bull and experienced their first winless season since 2011.
Speaking before his fifth-place finish in Bahrain, Russell acknowledged that the team’s confidence has improved compared to the same time last year. He mentioned that last year, morale was low due to the car’s poor performance, not only in terms of lap times but also in terms of its overall characteristics. However, after putting in a lot of work over the winter, Russell feels that the car is now performing as expected in terms of its driving behavior. The team’s focus now is to make the car faster.
Russell had positive feedback on the W15 car after pre-season testing and believes that Mercedes has made permanent fixes to its inherent flaws. He expressed confidence in being able to fully exploit the car’s potential, although he acknowledged that it’s still early days and there may be surprises in the upcoming races. Nonetheless, Russell feels that the car now feels more like a true race car.
“And I believe we can now be more assertive with the configuration. The aerodynamics can be more forceful with the mapping of the vehicle and where they apply the downward pressure.
“Previously, it felt like we were just putting temporary fixes on the underlying issue the car was facing for the past two years.
“However, for the first time in two years, we have evidence to support our claims. We analyzed the data from W14 and W13 and we are much more confident that this is a more competitive race car.
“But ultimately, the only thing that matters is how fast it performs on the track. And right now, it’s not quite meeting our expectations.”
Mercedes Technical Director James Allison stated that the primary objective of their revamped car was to eliminate the problematic characteristics of its challenging W14 predecessor.
When asked about this, Russell mentioned that there is no indication that this will be a recurring issue in the future, pointing out that they even scaled back on some bold design choices.
He highlighted the modified front suspension setup that Mercedes tested but will not use this weekend as an example of their ambitious advancements.
“I believe we have made further adjustments to enhance rear stability,” he continued. “We have also reconsidered some of the aggressive designs we implemented during the winter because, for this circuit, we found that we had slightly too much stability, resulting in excessive understeer in the corners.
“The great thing about this car is that we have the flexibility to fine-tune it, as we discussed with the wishbone setup. It may not be ideal for Bahrain, but it could work better at other circuits.
“We have several components in this car that will provide us with the flexibility to fine-tune it. Next week, we will be in Jeddah, which is a completely different circuit – faster, with lower downforce and higher grip. Let’s see how the car performs there.
“But it seems like we have done a commendable job in achieving our initial goal of having a much better foundation to build upon. Now, let’s see where it takes us.”
Lewis Hamilton expressed his dissatisfaction with Mercedes’ disregard for his input regarding the slim sidepod structure during the early stages of the previous season. In response, Russell acknowledges that the team has made efforts to address some of his teammate’s concerns, specifically regarding the forward positioning of the cockpit. When asked about his involvement in the design of Mercedes’ latest car, Russell confirms that he had provided input, placing his trust in the designers and aerodynamicists. He emphasizes that as a driver, his role is to maximize the potential of the given package. Over the past two years, both Russell and Hamilton have consistently shared similar feedback, albeit expressed in slightly different ways. Hamilton focused on the seating position and the instability of the rear, while Russell believes that these issues have been resolved through a series of changes, rather than a single solution.