After Shelling Out $89,000,000 for Mega Revamp, Lewis Hamilton & Co. Prepare for More “Fundamental Changes” Despite $135,000,000 Ceiling

The Mercedes F1 team is finally getting back on track thanks to the new developmental path they’re on. After the initial boost in performance, the German team got validation in Canada. Now, while the iron is hot, the Brackley-based outfit also announced a mega 70 million Pound ($89.11 million) revamp to their facility. This revamp will transform the facility into a Silicon Valley-style parkland campus. The revamp will also introduce a host of changes, just like the W14, which will add to the working environment. However, one must wonder if the massive investment will hamper the development of the car. According to the team boss Toto Wolff, nothing will come in the way of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell getting a better car.

The German team has a $135 million sword of the cost cap hanging over their head. However, despite the cost cap, which Wolff threatened to breach, the team will introduce “fundamental changes” to the car. However, how is the team planning to do so without breaching the cap? Wolff explained it to Autosport.

“We stayed below that line all year last year, and we’ve stayed below that line this year. Considering a normal development switch for next year, this is still pretty much on track,” said the Mercedes boss regarding their spending.

“The good thing is that we are constantly learning about what the car is doing. There are going to be some fundamental design changes for next year, but it’s not that we’re building stuff,” Wolff revealed.

“It’s more what are we simulating – and that is not measured in money. It’s teraflops or wind tunnel hours,” he added to address the changes which will not add to the cost cap.

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These fundamental changes are necessary as even though there is progress, Mercedes is far from catching Red Bull and Max Verstappen. Hamilton elaborated on these changes after the Canadian GP.

Lewis Hamilton explains where he will lose out to Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso

Outing on the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was supposed to be a difficult one for the Mercedes team. However, the “Silver” Arrows could’ve come away with a 3-4 in the race if it wasn’t for George Russell‘s crash. Results aside, the team gathered some unexpectedly positive data from the race. However, it’s still a long way to go for the race to the top, which is exactly what Hamilton pointed out after the race in Canada.

“We struggle in the lower-speed corners particularly, and that’s really where I was losing to Fernando [Alonso] and to Max [Verstappen] – just on traction out of Turn 2, out of pretty much every corner,” he explained in Montreal.

However, it’s not all bad, the team is still on the right trajectory. “We’ve got a lot of work to do just to add rear downforce to the car and a little bit more efficiency. But we’re chipping away,” he concluded with a sense of hope.

There is progress and for the first time in over a year, in the right direction. Before the end of the season, will Mercedes be able to match up to Red Bull‘s pace? For now, they keep their head down and try catching their closest rival Aston Martin. However, rest assured, their eyes are set on catching the red bull.

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