Mercedes F1 recovery: Where did you get it from, and what you still need

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The recent introduction of the long-awaited upgrade package, and the resulting spike in Formula 1 results, has created a “cascading” benefit within the Mercedes Formula 1 team, according to team boss Toto Wolff.

The modified Mercedes W14 made its debut at the Monaco Grand Prix last month. It represented a significant change in development direction, with changes to the floor, side panels/bonnet and front suspension, the major modifications. Drivers immediately reported an improvement in grip under braking.

The changes led to an improvement in form, with Mercedes 13 points ahead of Aston Martin in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship after being six points behind Monaco.

Mercedes have taken three podiums in the last two races in Spain and Canada after managing just one all season before that, although they still lag Red Bull in terms of performance and are 154 points behind in the standings.

More upgrades are planned, including what Wolff describes as a “bigger” package for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone next month and then at least another package before the end of the year.

Wolff says the much-needed boosting effect he has given all Mercedes employees should not be underestimated.

This goes beyond simply boosting morale because the results are better. The fact that the upgrades are now paying off after previous false turns also gives Mercedes confidence in the relationship between simulations, tunnel work and on-track performance again.

“We can see the positive dynamic literally trickling down, transcending the organization,” said Wolf.

“We feel the car coming together, we see our data giving results on the track and we haven’t felt that for a long time.

“Obviously that contributes to being in a very good place now.”

Wolff describes the team as “cautiously optimistic” after a positive Canadian Grand Prix weekend at the Montreal circuit that did not exploit the car’s strengths.

Mercedes remains at a disadvantage on the straights compared to the aerodynamically efficient Red Bull. Despite the improvements to the rear grip, this area is still room for more gains and hurt especially in Montreal’s traction areas.

Mercedes finished third in the standings in Montreal, but not much considering Lewis Hamilton jumped Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin at the start and, after losing the position early in the second stint, finished third.

His team mate George Russell was fourth before damaging his car.

“Moving from Barcelona to here, two completely opposite circuits, bodes well for the future,” Russell said when asked if Montreal’s performance was encouraging.

“Of course, we are looking for more than just second best, we need to close that gap to Red Bull. But it definitely shows that we are on the right track.”

The next step on that path is the Silverstone upgrade, which Wolff describes as building on what has been learned from early outings with the new package – and capitalizing on the fact that Mercedes now feels it can once again trust what it learns to be correct.

“We understand the simulation better, and that correlates with what we see on the track,” Wolff said when asked by The Race about Mercedes’ recent improvements.

“This has been our problem for the last year and a half.

“We’re seeing nice performance gains come in the tunnel. We’re seeing a better understanding of what the car needs to go fast and what the settings should look like.

“The steps are getting bigger now. I think we are getting good results.”

The Mercedes upgrade introduced improvements not only in terms of aerodynamic performance but also in terms of mechanical platform control. However, there are limitations in terms of how much can be changed per season due to cost cap restrictions and gearbox homologation rules that limit rear suspension changes.

Mercedes has confirmed there will be bigger architectural changes for the 2024 car. This could include moving the cockpit back after criticism from Hamilton and modifying the rear suspension geometry.

Wolf says that despite major changes to the existing car, the team is on track with its development spending this year and that there will be no further compromise in terms of resources left to continue improving the W14 and to ensure the necessary changes are made. Made with next year’s W15.

“We’ve built a huge organization in our finance department with 46 people who monitor cost caps down to the last screw and look at the direction of our spending for the full year,” Wolf said when asked about budgeting by The Race. Until the ongoing development and design work in the next year.

“What we’ve done is basically allocate resources to different projects and we’ve been below that level all last year, we’re still below that level this year. And that’s thinking about, say, the natural turnaround of development for next year and it’s still very much on track.

“The good thing is we’re constantly learning what the car’s doing. There will be some fundamental design changes for next year, but it’s not that we’re building things, it’s more like we’re mimicking it. But it’s not measured in money, it’s teraflops and wind tunnels.”

Mercedes will take a small hit in terms of available wind tunnel runs and CFD items at the start of next month when the aerodynamic test regulations are reallocated.

This is thanks to his second-place finish in the Constructors’ Championship after finishing third last year. That means a 5% reduction in their ATR allowance, which is the mechanism in the rules that allows for greater development opportunity for teams running back in the standings in an effort to help close the field.

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