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SINGAPORE – SEPTEMBER 16. Executive Director Toto Wolff and engineer Andrew Shovlin. Talk in the Pitlane before the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore. Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 16, 2018 in Singapore. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
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SINGAPORE – SEPTEMBER 16. Executive Director Toto Wolff and engineer Andrew Shovlin. Talk in the Pitlane before the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore. Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 16, 2018 in Singapore. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
Mercedes F1 team might not be where they want to be in the 2022 season. The team finished on the podium at the first race of the season in Bahrain, but they were nowhere near their rivals in terms of performance. Mercedes’s head of engineering, Andrew Shovlin, mentioned that they need to work on their car to get on top of their issues.
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The team has been one of the worst-hit by the issue of porpoising in 2022. We can clearly see their drivers bouncing violently throughout the straights on the track. This has limited them to make headways to chase after their rivals Red Bull and Ferrari.
Mercedes F1 engineering head points out their car issues
As reported by GPBlog, Shovlin revealed they do not have a car that can challenge for pole positions and win just yet. But it was clear at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the German team has a reliable car that can give them an odd podium.
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“Our priority has to be to get on top of our current performance issues; we don’t have a car to fight for pole or race wins and that isn’t something that we can tolerate for long if we ambitions to win the championships,” said Andrew.
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SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 14: James Allison, Technical Director at Mercedes GP talks with Mercedes GP Engineer Andrew Shovlin in the Paddock during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Brazil at Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace on November 14, 2019, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Charles Coates/Getty Images)
Mercedes have an opportunity to experiment with the strategies and understand the car better in the upcoming races. Since they are not fighting with anyone around them currently, they have the luxury to spend more energy on developing their car.
It would be interesting to see how long does the German team needs to get on top of their issues. They have hinted that they might not resolve the current problem before the European stretch of the calendar.
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Hopefully, they do not take half a season to get on top of their problems, as it would peg them back even further in the championship. It would be fantastic to see the 3 top teams fighting it out at the front of the grid in 2022.
