In the early afternoon, a rubber hammer was needed to close a belly of Lewis Hamilton’s W13: the Mercedes mechanics themselves were embarrassed in front of those who observed the scene, since usually the silver arrows are mounted with surgical precision.
The episode lived by ours Giorgio Piola testifies to some confusion in the Brackley team which was caught slightly in trouble in fine-tuning the silver arrow with the new aerodynamic outfit featuring mini-bellies.
Mercedes W13: difficulties in assembling some parts of the body
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
It is true that the mechanics of the car are the same as those seen in Barcelona, but the W13 that Lewis Hamilton took in hand continues to be the runaway horse of the first day, as if Mercedes had to start from scratch the knowledge work of a machine that is no longer the same as the other test session.
Did Toto Wolff’s staff repeat the mistake they made in 2021 this year? James Allison last year had wanted to keep the bottom with the “shells” hidden until the tests at Sakhir, giving up the traditional Silverstone shakedown, only to discover in Bahrain that the solution that was supposed to be miraculous did not work properly.
George Russell, Mercedes W13 struggling in braking
Photo by: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
And this year the Star played the same game as in 2019, when it brought two very different cars to the track one week apart, throwing opponents into a panic. But on that occasion the regulation was mature and the risks very limited.
With the W13 mini, on the other hand, Mercedes can certainly rely on a car with enormous potential, but it risks arriving unprepared for the first race of the season.
The work of the first three days of testing in Barcelona actually threw it away: the Mercedes technicians had to start understanding the car from scratch, because the behavior of the W13 changed with the new aerodynamics.
Mercedes W13: the radiator vents are minimal, are they enough to cool the power unit?
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Hamilton and George Russell have to deal with amplified porpoising and overheating that cause a rapid decline in performance. The Silver Arrow is certainly the most extreme F1 and on paper it is the car with the most ability to extract performance from forms never seen before, but at the moment it seems that the problems still outweigh the benefits.
It is true that the engine, a true must of the House, has not yet been … released to express all its power, but honestly it would not have made sense to do so, seeing the W13 bounce with the bottom on the asphalt, giving off spectacular sparks, despite the two showy ties that the FIA authorized queuing up in the hope of controlling the decline in the fund.
Mercedes W13: the mechanics pakaging is amazing
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Perhaps Mercedes will be able to take a shot in the flying lap before testing closes, but it will be unlikely that tomorrow they will be able to complete a race simulation while maintaining a constant pace. It is true that in Brackley’s team they are masters at hiding, but this time the gamble of showing the real car at the last minute can cost a delay on the path to competitiveness. And that’s what they don’t even secretly wish for in Maranello …
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