After two seasons of missing the mark, Mercedes believes it has found the optimal riding height for its 2024 Formula 1 chassis. Since the introduction of ground-effect cars at the beginning of the 2022 season, the German manufacturer has had a rough go of it. For the 2024 Formula 1 season, Mercedes has Lewis Hamilton and George Russell working feverishly on their new W15 chassis. Since the FIA implemented strict technical requirements in 2022, the Silver Arrows have had trouble staying competitive. In almost two years of competition, the two British drivers had only one victory. The once-dominant Mercedes squad worries about ride height and porpoising. In 2022, Mercedes had serious aerodynamic porpoising problems, where cars oscillated vertically. Mercedes W13 took the most damage on the grid. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were in danger here. In response, the FIA mandated that all teams raise their cars' ride height by 15mm. Mercedes, perhaps being overly cautious, raised their car even higher for the 2023 F1 season. Because of this, they suffered a significant performance loss.
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F1: Mercedes-AMG 2023 Season so Far
It's becoming increasingly difficult for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to even get a podium at races. As a result, the team has switched their sights to 2024 in an effort to establish the optimal ride height. The team is optimistic that they will soon be able to get the most out of the car's chassis.
Mercedes is now focusing on the 2024 automobile, but according to Elliott, it won't stop the company from putting as much effort as possible into building the W14. Elliott believed that continuing development of this year's car would not jeopardise next season's efforts, despite the car's anticipated radical redesign.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said, "Our season really didn't start well in Bahrain, but I think over the last races we've been able to understand the car better, keep on learning and finding improvements. The race for P2 is tight between Aston Martin, Ferrari, McLaren and us. It's going to be an intense battle to the end of the season. Our objective is always to be fighting for championships, not for second place. But we're racers and we will enjoy the challenge. Our focus is on what we need to be winning races and championships again. One helps the other, so we will be concentrating on how we can improve our understanding of the car, and how we operate as a Team, in the second half of this season."
F1: Mercedes-AMG New Sidepods
Mercedes introduced their first big 2023 upgrade package at the Monaco Grand Prix, marking the end of its zero sidepod design, with which it ushered in a new era of ground effect regulations. The package updated the W14's mechanical and aerodynamic features with a redesigned front suspension, sidepods, and a floor. Because the present W14 tub was created as part of the discarded design, any changes to it this year would be impossible. Neither the cockpit's position nor the side guards' have been altered.
James Allison, technical director at Mercedes said, "The development journey hasn't been that different to any other year. Trying to add performance to the car with all the tools you have available. Finding more downforce, trying to not make the car heavier, making it handle better. The rewarding thing is we are not just adding bread and butter performance. We are also collectively assessing what we got wrong with our decisions last year. These were things we understood within the first few weeks of running the car. Since then, a major focus has been putting them right. I find that quite enjoyable and I know it's been rewarding for everyone in the technical team."
Although the Brackley-based Mercedes team now sits in second place in the 2023 Constructors' Championship, they have rarely been the weekend's second-fastest car. In light of Aston Martin and McLaren's entry into the competition for second place behind Red Bull, Wolff rejected any notion of annoyance with the performance of customer teams who seem to have matched the capabilities of the W14 equipped with the identical engine.
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