F1: Hamilton's W14 Receives New “Upgrade” as Mercedes and McLaren Go on Meme War

Mercedes will run the latest upgrades in the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend, despite reservations about introducing big changes on a tight city track. Fans briefly believed the team might provide a peek at the new vehicle design on social media.

The Silver Arrows planned to bring an important upgrade package to the Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna in an effort to get back into title contention. Fans will have to wait an extra week to see whether there have been modifications to the FW14 after F1 cancelled the Imola GP owing to extreme floods in the region. Mercedes has announced that it will run the latest enhancements in next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, despite worries that they may not work in the tight confines of the street track. As the 10 teams continue to fight it out on the track, a new meme war has broken out between Formula 1's two biggest teams, Mercedes and McLaren. In it, McLaren and Lando Norris poked fun at George Russel, but Mercedes F1's comeback was brutal, to say the least.

Also Read: F1 Imola GP: How Cancellation of Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Impacts McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari Development?

Mercedes vs McLaren: Meme War

Lando Norris, using the official McLaren Twitter account, poked fun at George Russell's stance in the opening sequence. The tweet was an allusion to the official F1 opening title sequences, in which Russell strikes a stance with his head bent and both arms outstretched. In 2023, the stance was kind of a viral phenomenon as social media accounts from all across the sport employed photoshopping to position Russell in all sorts of circumstances. The McLaren social media team has now joined the ranks of those making fun of the position, with Norris donning Russell's signature stance.

George Russell. Trendsetter. F1 race winner. https://t.co/b5FAzLwHLw

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 16, 2023

Then Lando joined in, standing on the bridge outside McLaren's Surrey headquarters as Russell did in the opening season. Mercedes' social media manager commented on Norris's tweet in response to this conversation. Since George Russell has won a Formula One race and Lando Norris has not, the caption is an obvious swipe at Norris. In 2021, Lando Norris was in the lead from the gun in Russia and might have won his first race. But in the closing laps, it began to rain, and a delayed pit stop caused him to fall from first to seventh place. It goes without saying that he has not yet won his first race.

Mercedes New Upgrade

Mercedes has announced that it will run the latest upgrades in next weekend's Monaco Grand Prix, despite worries that they may not work in the tight confines of the street track. For a brief minute, it seemed as if the team was going to give fans a sneak peek at the new vehicle design through its social media channels. An official Mercedes account tweeted, "Admin drop the upgrade pics. Say no more..." Instead of sharing a photo of the new vehicle, the same W14 of Hamilton was posted with a photo of Russell placed on the front wing.

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Here are some of F1's responses to Mercedes's announcement of an upgrade. In the words of one user: "Probably faster than the current W14." Another commented, "Max Verstappen was found shaking and crying in his basement. Another era of Mercedes dominance starts now. In response, someone else said, "New frontwing. Codename: The Grid Eliminator."

*Admin drop the upgrade pics*

Say no more... pic.twitter.com/GZXbAmSoHX

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 19, 2023

Putting jokes to one side, Team principal Toto Wolff said during the Miami Grand Prix that the new design will include modifications to the car's exterior, floor, and front suspension.