Mercedes’ 2024 Formula 1 season so far has been characterized by ups and downs. Team Principal Toto Wolff has stated that small changes can make a difference in the car’s behavior, as demonstrated at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps and Silverstone. However, the performance has not been consistent enough to compete for the Constructors’ Championship with Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari, which is why the team is working to close the gap at least with Red Bull and Ferrari.
Mercedes describes its upgrade for the upcoming United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas as “a rather substantial new set of clothes,” marking the beginning of the development efforts for the last six races of the Formula 1 season.
Formula 1 is currently on a four-week break between races following the Singapore Grand Prix, where Mercedes struggled to keep pace, finishing fourth and sixth with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. With six races remaining in eight weeks to conclude the season, many teams, including Mercedes, are preparing for COTA with significant upgrade packages.
“We will try to understand how to mitigate our issues, how to make the tires work better on these circuits that tend to overheat, and we’ll also do a fair amount of work to put together the last update of the season,” said Technical Director James Allison.
“For Austin, we have a fairly substantial set of new features in store for the car, which we hope will allow us to have a satisfying weekend. So, we need to deliver all this and prepare for the last races of the year.” – he added.
James Allison hopes that the developments will enable Mercedes to provide its drivers with a more competitive car, especially after Hamilton’s 350th race in Singapore ended unsatisfactorily, starting from third on the grid in a challenging race.
“Lewis has had a career that I believe will never be matched by any other driver, and the fact that he has done all this with a single engine manufacturer, with Mercedes engines, is particularly remarkable,” James Allison continued – “We are nearing the end of our journey with him, and almost every weekend is a milestone that will never be repeated with Lewis. It’s just a shame that it happened on a weekend when the car wasn’t as brilliant, and my hope is that we won’t have to go too far beyond the 350th – maybe we can celebrate the 351st in style.” – the Mercedes Technical Director concluded.
Mercedes did not expect to have to say goodbye to Lewis Hamilton, with whom it has won six World Championships and eight Constructors’ Championships. The 2024 Formula 1 season is not going as planned, but there is still a short path to travel together. Will Mercedes manage to bounce back and compete for victory again?
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