Despite arriving to COTA with upgrades, Mercedes were the slowest of the top four teams. Having shown promising pace on Friday, the W15 struggled for the rest of the weekend. According to Toto Wolff, the team’s updates were responsible for Lewis Hamilton spinning out in the race.
Wolff calls for analysis into latest Mercedes updates
Several teams have been dumbfounded by their upgrades in 2024. This generation of F1 cars have proven extremely unpredictable, with performance in the wind tunnel often failing to materialise on track.
Initially, it seemed Mercedes avoided this dilemma in the Americas.
George Russell was only a few thousands away from Pole in the Sprint Shootout, whilst a mistake from Lewis Hamilton cost the 7-time Champion a chance of going fastest. Still, the early signs were encouraging.
Optimising the W15 an ongoing process
Unfortunately for the Silver Arrows, the W15 went backwards as the weekend progressed. Toto Wolff gave his verdict in a post-race interview:
“There’s definitely something wrong with the car,” he told Sky Germany.
“Lewis doesn’t lose a Formula 1 car like that after a few laps. He took it upon himself, which shows greatness, but it wasn’t his fault.
“It was wind, there was perhaps some turbulence from the front, but that can’t be a reason for going off. Maybe there’s something wrong with our car that’s just not right.”
Though Mercedes are understandably frustrated with their latest result, it would be pre-emptive to write off these updates.
It often takes a few races for a team to understand how to optimise new components. Considering their generally strong 2024 development (in addition to their strong Friday pace), there is reason to believe the W15’s upgrades have genuine potential to unlock.
With that said, last weekend was not the first time Mercedes have mysteriously lost pace from practice to qualifying.
For the Toto Wolff’s personnel to consistently fight for wins (especially looking ahead to next year), these wild swings in performance must be addressed.
