Mercedes have lost their momentum in recent events, failing to replicate the performance that saw them claim 3 victories before the summer break. Having introduced upgrades at the Dutch GP, Mercedes will return to older components this weekend.
Mercedes to use older components at the Baku GP
The last three years have shown how unpredictable upgrades can be in modern F1. Despite the most sophisticated wind tunnels and simulation tools at the team’s disposal, this generation of cars have proven extremely difficult to improve.
Several teams, from Ferrari to Mercedes to VCARB, have seen upgrades have unexpected impacts. Of the front-runners, it is the Silver Arrows who are currently unsure about their latest components.
The upgrade package Mercedes brought to the Dutch GP, at least so far, has failed to yield results.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s action, Toto Wolff outlined the work taking place to rectify the W15’s dip in form:
“We head to Baku aiming for a better performance than we showed in Zandvoort and Monza.
“Both were difficult races for us. Our relative pace was not as strong as it was prior to the summer break, and several of our competitors took a step forward.
“We showed good pace at moments across both weekends but were unable to unlock this consistently.
“And we have spent the time since analysing why this was. We have the opportunity to show we have done the necessary learning and made improvements both for this weekend in Azerbaijan.”
Preparing for 2025 is the priority
For Mercedes, understanding their aerodynamic platform is not just relevant for the rest of 2024. Of course, this does not mean they are cannot win more races this year.
However, the Brackley-based team’s priority is to position themselves to fight for the Championship next year. Because of this, the Silver Arrows are prioritising data collection over immediate results.
George Russell has elaborated on this topic:
“We want to win as many races as we can before the end of the year. But the main goal is to make sure we have done all the learnings possible going into next season.”
Therefore, for Mercedes, taking one step backwards could be the best way to improve their long-term trajectory.
