Mercedes have revealed that their focus for the remainder of the 2024 season is to understand their slow corner weakness so that it is not passed on to next year’s rival.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have battled hard since the summer break, with the former claiming the team’s only podium in the last seven races.
The lack of performance has persisted despite the introduction of significant updates to the W15, most recently at the United States Grand Prix in Austin in October.
Speaking at the team’s race debriefing at the São Paulo Grand Prix, trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said: a lot of car spin and that’s a weakness we need to work on.
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During a rain delay in qualifying, Ted Kravitz entered the Mercedes pit to try to call team principal Toto Wolff, who was away from Interlagos.
“We didn’t expect this update kit to improve on that. All we were hoping for was to enhance the basic performance of the car. As for what we’ve seen, we’re confident it’s doing what it’s supposed to.”
“However, we are also confident that there are some fundamentals that we need to understand with this car in order to fix them in W16 and we are very busy with that right now and hopefully we will make the right changes with this car. : winter, so that we don’t have to fight against these weaknesses next year.”
Mercedes’ lack of form since the summer break has left them tied in the constructors’ championship, with the title trio of McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull well clear and Aston Martin too far behind to threaten their fourth place. .
Normally, the prize money from the constructors’ competition would keep teams fully focused until the end of the season, but Mercedes’ rare clear position with three rounds to go and even earlier has given them the chance to look ahead.
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Lewis Hamilton was left disappointed after finishing 10th in his Mercedes at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
Shovlin said: “The main thing in terms of learning is that the angles we’re weak in are still the same, the interlocking, slow angles. That’s where we slip.
“The focus for us in the remaining races is to learn what we can. We are in a position in the championship where we cannot challenge in front of us. It is very unlikely that we will see any challenges from the back.
“Our focus has shifted a lot to learning what we need this year to apply next year so we can address those issues at the top.”
Shovlin says the diversity of the remaining circuits is particularly beneficial for Mercedes, with Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi all presenting different challenges.
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Lewis Hamilton struggled in the rain around Interlagos to finish only 16th at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
“We’re going to look at all the other ways to evaluate performance and just confirm what we understand about this car and whether the changes we hope to make next year will improve those areas,” Shovlin added.
“Vegas has a lot of straights and low speed corners. And then, finishing in Abu Dhabi, which is a mix of everything, it will give us a good read on how we perform and who the benchmark is.
“Sometimes it’s Red Bull, sometimes it’s McLaren, sometimes it’s Ferrari, but it will allow us to establish the gap we need to close in the winter months.”
Russell: The car is more inconsistent than ever
Speaking ahead of his relatively encouraging showing at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Russell described the W15 as the “most inconsistent” car he had driven in his three seasons with the team.
Russell joined a team that claimed eight consecutive Constructors’ titles, but their struggles since the introduction of new design regulations at the start of 2022 have seen the Briton win just two grands prix.
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Mercedes driver George Russell crashed massively into the barriers during second practice for the Mexico City Grand Prix.
“I think in 2022, kind of the age of pigs, it was definitely a lot more unpleasant,” Russell said.
“But because of the nature of those cars, it was much more difficult to get close to the border because you were literally jumping every corner and you knew it was going to bite you.
“The problem we have with this car at the moment is you think it’s not going to bite you and you can get a really great lap.
“Then all of a sudden nothing changes, or you feel like nothing changes, and the next lap you lose all that performance.
“Without a doubt, this is probably the most inconsistent we’ve been as a team in probably forever.”
Formula 1 returns with the Las Vegas Grand Prix from November 22-24, live on Sky Sports F1, where Max Verstappen could seal the championship. Get Sky Sports F1 to watch every race and more live
