Making mistakes is part of human nature and everyone makes mistakes even in the world Formula 1. However, in the world of Formula 1, these mistakes are brutally punished. Every extra inch on the track and on the car can have catastrophic repercussions. This is exactly what happened back in Brackley as Mercedes manufactured W13. The W13 was one of Mercedes’ most troublesome and worst cars in their limited history. This is exactly why Lewis Hamilton incessantly complained about the state of the car. Proving him right, Mercedes’s CTO Mike Elliott also made a huge and honest confession of this blunder with the W13.
The 2022 regulations brought a complete shift to the grid dynamics. Mercedes from winning the 2021 championship fell way off track with their interpretation of the regulations. The team’s reluctance to admit their mistake continued and the 2023 challenger also suffered. However, Hamilton did not give up and got his wish with his constant and scathing criticism. Now the CTO has also made an admission in favor of Hamilton.
Speaking to the media, Elliott admitted, “For these cars, aerodynamically they want to run close to the ground. And so, if you run them close to ground, you have to run them stiff – and that’s one of the traps we fell into last year, if we’re honest.”
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📰: Mercedes CTO, Mike Elliott, admits falling into a 'trap' with 2022 F1 regulations, running their car too close to ground and facing 'porpoising' issues. The team struggled with ground-effect aerodynamics changes, aiming to improve followability. Aiming for balance between… pic.twitter.com/oTVO8SnH4a
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) August 9, 2023
Eliott also revealed the limited wind tunnel testing time also plays a major role as every second counts. So if a team decides to go in a certain direction, they tend to stick with it. However, Mercedes had to move away thanks in part to Hamilton.
However, despite the changes to the car and an uptick in performance resulting to positive results, the Brit still isn’t satisfied. In fact, Hamilton has continued to criticise the W14 but the boss Toto Wolff is turning a blind eye to these complaints, again!
Despite continued criticism of the W14, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff makes opposing remarks
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Despite the upgrades, the Brit is not satisfied with the progress the team is making. The porpoising in the Belgian GP was evidence of the same as Hamilton was haunted by the ghost of W13. However, despite the evident bouncing, the Austrian boss made a worrying admission post Belgian GP.
The Mercedes boss said, “It was an important step for us because last year Spa was a disaster. We feel we have progressed. But then you look at the first in the standings, which has taken another step forward. We just have to turn the situation around.”
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WATCH THIS STORY: Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes Has Been Ruled Out Despite A Heated Confrontation With Toto Wolff
The arguments, the car’s state, the team’s slow progress are all variables aiding in Hamilton’s reluctance to extend his contract. Do you think they will play a big enough to role to see Hamilton change teams?