Mercedes have an important update planned for the American GP. James Allison explains to F1 news outlets why the next steps at Mercedes are so consequential.
Even in the final rounds of 2023, upgrades can still be anticipated across the field. Different teams have implemented different mid-season development strategies, which depend on many factors. At Mercedes, there will be important changes as they prepare for next year’s car.
Due to a poor start to the year, the German constructor has spent most of this year making corrections. As a result, upgrades have not generally been designed to produce immediate performance. Instead, they were targeted at helping facilitate a transition to 2024.
Having started the year with a flawed concept, Mercedes realised very quickly that – to some degree – they would have to sacrifice this season. In some ways, the Silver Arrows deserve praise for keeping P2 in the constructors despite a nightmare winter break.
Importance of last W14 updates
Looking ahead to this weekend’s action in Austin, the W14 will receive important updates. James Allison’s influence on the team’s direction is well-documented across F1 news headlines – and Mercedes’ next changes will reflect some of his vision for next season.
The Mercedes technical director has explained what to expect this weekend:
“Hopefully, that will bring us a little bit more lap time. That’s always a plus,” motorsport-total quotes him as saying.
“But it’s mainly useful because its an indicator of whether we’re on the right track.
“Yes, it’s extremely exciting. And he’s right that it’s a very important phase. Because we all have an eye on the fact that 2026 is coming our way, with major rule changes, where everything starts over again…
“That means that what you do for 2024 is also relevant for 2025 because a lot of parts have to be taken with you.
“So it’s hugely important, not just for 2024 but also for 2025.”
There are many reasons why these updates are so important. Focusing on the constructors’ battle, the Brackley-based team still has to fend off Ferrari for 2nd place. Despite a difficult sequence of race weekends, the Italian outfit can still close the gap.
Long-term impact
However, there are more long-lasting consequences for the effectiveness of Mercedes’ changes. Over the last twelve months, two customer teams have out-developed the manufacturer team. First Aston Martin, and then McLaren.
Of these two teams, McLaren is establishing itself as a genuine threat. Almost every update applied to the MCL60 has worked as intended, allowing the team to score regular podiums.
This gives Andrea Stella’s team far more certainty for 2024, as they can trust the correlation between the simulator and the circuit. The same cannot be said for Mercedes, who have essentially wasted two years chasing lap time in the simulator that didn’t materialise on track.
For Toto Wolff’s engineers, the timing sheets may not accurately show if their upgrades are working. However, using their own methodologies, they can determine if they can confidently follow their long-term development path.
As mentioned by James Allison, next year’s performance will also have a big impact on 2025. Therefore, the next few months will be critical if the team are to succeed in this era of F1 cars.
