Mercedes boss Toto Wolff admits his team has no short-term solutions to its woes this season.
Traditionally, teams that buy engines fail to beat their suppliers. Teams like Mercedes or Ferrari, with vast resources, have an advantage over teams that depend on their power units. For this reason, it has often been argued that McLaren – for example – were limited by their reliance on Brixworth for their power units. Of course, this consensus was shattered, after the team from Woking took victory last weekend.
Mercedes is losing ground to rivals
McLaren’s rise to the top step of the podium didn’t happen overnight. Since last season in Austria, the team led by Andrea Stella has made constant and significant progress with their upgrades. A clear philosophy and development path – along with accurate simulator correlation – are key aspects of their success.
Traditionally, teams that buy engines fail to beat their suppliers. Teams like Mercedes or Ferrari, with vast resources, have an advantage over teams that depend on their power units. For this reason, it has often been argued that McLaren – for example – were limited by their reliance on Brixworth for their power units. Of course, this consensus was shattered, after the team from Woking took victory last weekend.
Mercedes is losing ground to rivals
McLaren’s rise to the top step of the podium didn’t happen overnight. Since last season in Austria, the team led by Andrea Stella has made constant and significant progress with their upgrades. A clear philosophy and development path – along with accurate simulator correlation – are key aspects of their success.
This progress, in many ways, only highlights Mercedes’ failings. The Silver Arrows are currently in no-man’s land, too slow to fight for wins, but at the same time fast enough to hover around the top six positions.
Just over a year ago, Mercedes brought in James Allison to correct its trajectory. But the W15 failed in various aspects. Not only are they slower than direct rivals like Ferrari, but they can’t be sure that upgrades will produce significant improvements.
Mercedes’ upgrades in Miami were largely overshadowed by Lando Norris’ victory. However, as a reminder, new components were installed on the W15 in Miami. It is clear that their influence was quite limited. On the other hand, drawing conclusions from such a small sample size is difficult.
Regardless, it seems reasonable to argue that the MCL38 has increased the advantage over the W15. Going forward, Toto Wolff warns that no solution can immediately solve their problems.
“I think we know what we have to do,” Wolff was quoted as saying by Motorsportweek.
“In terms of what they bring to the car, you can’t really rush it because you have to get to the point where you say: now is a good time to put it into production.”
“And when that part comes, they need to be sorted. So this is a question for many weeks.”
These comments speak to a key aspect of the German team’s plight. Not only does their car lack performance, but the team can’t be sure that their upgrades will work as expected. In addition, the wind tunnel at Brackley was often misleading.
Of course, the situation is not entirely negative. Lewis Hamilton parried Sergio Perez in the last part of the Miami Grand Prix. Still, other teams are climbing rapidly elsewhere.
This means that Mercedes upgrades are much needed. Not only do they unlock more speed, but you also make sure they don’t fall again.
