Despite Upcoming Baku Upgrades, Lewis Hamilton & Co. Wave the White Flag in Front of Max Verstappen

Everybody acknowledged Mercedes as the dominant force during the Turbo-Hybrid era. However, that once-dominant force has now acknowledged the new dominant team. As Lewis Hamilton dreams of his 8th World championship hoping that Mercedes’ new concept and upgrades will work like magic, the newly reappointed Mercedes man shares the upgrades, reality while waving the white flag to Max Verstappen and Red Bull.

Mercedes’ 2023 season has been a mixed bag so far. The team wasn’t able to close the gap to Red Bull at all and has been slower than their customer team who finished 7th in constructors last season. However, the team has made up grounds race by race and is coming up with a new concept. The new concept is expected to arrive in time for the Emilia Romagna GP. James Allison has been appointed as the Technical Director again and has explained Mercedes’ upgrade situation.

Lewis Hamilton and Co. have consistently been putting new parts on the car every race of the season so far. The team is desperate to make up for the slump start to the season. James Allison explained how Mercedes has been consistently upgrading and that the race in Baku would be no different. He suggested upgrades will be there for Baku and hopefully for all the upcoming races. The Mercedes Technical Director did, however, appreciate the work Red Bull and Max Verstappen are doing as he sets expectations.

According to the F1 Nation podcast, when asked about the upgrades, James Allison said “The flow of new parts has already happened. We pretty much have a different car every weekend. Sometimes it’s a few more parts, sometimes a few fewer. But we’ve had new things for each of the races, Baku won’t be an exception. I would hope we can keep that coming.”

Talking about the budget cap affecting the upgrades, Allison said “You’re constrained by cost caps and stuff eventually but we’re at the stage of the season where there’s still plenty of firepower there to keep putting lap time on the car week in and week out.” He further showed respect for Red Bull and said, “We’re completely realistic about the significant performance of Red Bull, particularly Max. They are going to be extremely worthy opposition to hunt down and in due course overtake.”

Read More: Despite Toto Wolff’s Realistic Claims, Lewis Hamilton Expects “Magic” From Mercedes With Past Turnarounds in Reminiscence

Despite waving the White Flag in front of Red Bull and Co., James Allison hinted at overtaking them in due course, calling them a worthy opposition. Allison also suggested Mercedes’ reliability and downforce as an advantage over the grid. Regardless, The British designer did follow his Mercedes CEO’s footsteps, expecting a realistic boost from the upgrades.

Toto Wolff on the new concept and expectations from the upgrades

With Mercedes scrapping the zeropod concept and a new concept in development. Toto Wolff suggested that the team is clear about the direction of upgrades and is on a positive trajectory. The team understands the car a lot better than before. However, the Silver Arrows must keep their feet on the ground and not expect an Aston Martin-like transformation. The upgrades will be more about consistent and steady performance improvement rather than one huge boost.

According to MercedesamgF1.com, Toto Wolff said, “In terms of car development, it is encouraging to see that within three races, we understand the car much better, we have defined a clear direction where we need to go and I believe we are on the right trajectory.”

Talking about the upgrades and the expectations, Wolff added, “We will consistently be bringing upgrades to the car over the next few races, which is something to look forward to. But there is no such thing as a magic bullet that transforms the car, and it’s about being realistic with your expectations. Hopefully, we will see a steady improvement.”

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What do you make of James Allison’s comments?