Throughout 2023, Mercedes was well aware of how far behind they were from Red Bull in terms of performance. However, it did not mean the Silver Arrows could not pose a challenge to Red Bull, and one of their strongest challenges came at the Hungarian GP. Having secured the pole position in qualifying, Lewis Hamilton believes it was Mercedes’ biggest positive of the season, as quoted by SoyMotor.
Qualifying a mere 0.011 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen, the seven-time world champion could not find enough race pace to fend off a challenge from the Dutchman. In the end, Hamilton finished the race in 4th place while George Russell finished in 6th. Meanwhile, Verstappen ended up winning the race with a 33-second margin to second place. Sergio Perez took home the 3rd-place place trophy, closing out another successful week for the constructors’ champions.
Throughout the season, Mercedes tried their best to catch Red Bull on the tracks but would always end up falling short. Despite picking up multiple second-place finishes, the team could not find the killer blow to Verstappen’s dominance, owing largely to multiple inconsistencies with their car. As such, after two years of the current concept not working in their favor, the team decided to bin it and are now working on bringing an entirely new concept to their car for the 2024 season.
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton eager to get back to winning ways
Having swapped roles with Mike Elliott back in 2021, James Allison re-took the position of Mercedes’ CTO in the second half of 2023. Under the leadership of Allison, the Silver Arrows won multiple constructors’ titles while Hamilton continued winning one drivers’ title after another. With nothing but resurgence on their minds, the Brackley-based team is working on bringing a new concept to the W15 under Allison’s able leadership.
Often facing porpoising and downforce issues or experiencing a severe lack of pace, the Silver Arrows decided to “change every component” on their W15. The change even includes how they laid out their chassis, the car’s weight distribution, and the airflow. Furthermore, a new and improved sidepods concept will add to the arsenal of the W15, with Allison recently claiming his team was working on an “ambitious project” for the 2024 season.
However, Mercedes knows they have a mountain to climb in their bid to defeat Red Bull and get back to winning ways. Furthermore, McLaren and Ferrari will also pose considerable threats to Mercedes, given their end-of-season resurgence. Hamilton has shown signs of confidence in his team for the 2024 season and believes they have a “north star” in the W15. As such, the Briton hopes they can be much more competitive than in the last two years, “But still getting there is not a straight line.”
