As soon as Mercedes number 44 passed under the checkered flag of Imola, Toto Wolff spoke on the radio: “Sorry Lewis for the car we gave you today, I know it can’t be driven and these are not the results we deserve. We will get up, we will get out of it ”.
Mercedes is experiencing something that resembles a sports drama, and race after race the problem is shifting from a purely technical scenario to a strategic one.
Lewis Hamilton wrapped up in the pack with the disappointing Mercedes W13 at Imola
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
That the W13 was not born well was understood quickly enough, given the problems that the team had to face already in Bahrain. It was a shock for a multi-champion coaching staff, but no matter how difficult the start was, a prompt reaction was taken for granted.
No one could have foreseen that on the eve of the fifth race of the season the situation would in fact become even worse. The problems have not been solved because four race weekends were not enough to identify the evil afflicting the car, and it is above all this aspect that has made the Brackley engineers sleepless.
Mercedes jumps, but on closer inspection it is not the only one to do so, on the contrary, one of the cars that has more to do with porpoising is the Ferrari that today is at the top of the world drivers and constructors rankings.
George Russell, Mercedes-AMG
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
There are jumps and … jumps, and this is explained by Mercedes itself, which on Friday at Imola was forced to change the ground on Russell’s car precisely because of the continuous impacts on the asphalt caused by porpoising.
“The hops are so strong that they really take your breath away – commented George – over the course of the weekend it was the most extreme I’ve ever heard. I really hope that a solution can be found soon because it is not sustainable for the riders who have this problem to continue driving with chest and back pain as it happened to me ”.
According to Wolff, not all hops are the same, and the difference is the frequency with which the car bounces, an aspect that also determines the impact on the car’s behavior at braking points.
“The behavior of Ferrari seems to be different from ours – the Mercedes team principal clarified speaking of porpoising – our frequency seems to be higher and when we arrive under braking our car does not stabilize, while Ferrari does”.
The strong porpoising effect triggers other problems, as Mercedes technicians are forced to use less performing set-ups which also impact on tire management.
The three flow conveyors in front of the bellies of the Mercedes W13
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Time passes quickly and, after two pre-season test sessions and four race weekends, the problem is no longer just technical, as the time is fast approaching when Mercedes will have to decide whether to still believe in the project or divert energy. on 2023.
Wolff defends the W13, even though he admitted for the first time at the Imola weekend that it is unrealistic to think that the team could somehow get back in the running for the two world titles. The next few weeks will be crucial, as the team’s plans include technical updates on the weekend in Barcelona.
Mercedes W13, detail of the bottom with lightening
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Wolff does not want to hear about the possibility of turning the page yet, but that of the Spanish Grand Prix looks a lot like a last call.
“Before making such a decision it is essential to understand the origin of the problem – he clarified – I do not think ours is a wrong project, and there is no point in moving to a new one if you have not understood what went wrong in the previous one. When the fronts on which we made mistakes are identified, we will decide accordingly, if we manage to lower the car the W13 project could also confirm good potential, so we still have to take time and work ”.
The hope is, of course, that of being able to improve the situation without running into structural problems, a scenario that would force the team to look to next season already.
At the moment there do not appear to be any financial obstacles related to the budget cap. All the teams are trying to develop their respective cars using the wind tunnel and CFD, while for Mercedes at the moment the study is more focused on solving problems than on refinements in more detail of the opponents, but the impact on the front costs at the moment is as expected.
“We have not decided to undertake a new project – explained Wolff – a decision that would have a great impact on costs. So far we are still focused on what we have and are in the plans ”.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO Mercedes AMG
Photo by: Steve Etherington / Motorsport Images
Compared to the past few years, the results have changed, and with them also the questions that Wolff hears from the media. Imola was asked if Toto did not regret the decision to keep a stake in the team, worth around 300 million pounds, and not having succumbed to the temptation to give up everything at the end of 2021.
“Selling and going to the Maldives? I really don’t think about it – she reiterated – if I really went there, stopping what I’m doing, I think I would shut down. I am doing something that I really like, the results are not good at the moment but Formula 1 is going very well and as a team on the financial front we are in a very positive position. This is what I want to do all my life ”.
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