Mercedes F1 Hints at Crucial W13 Updates Lined up for Saudi Arabian GP

The 2022 F1 season is already on it way to the second race, which will take place in Jeddah. Mercedes didn’t have a decent start this season, although they got a few points in the first race. But they are surely looking to get back on track as the Mercedes trackside engineering director shared about some upgrades for the upcoming race.

The German constructor had a real hard time at the pre-season testing and even in the first race weekend in Bahrain. Both drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were struggling with the W13. Andrew Shovlin revealed that their car is heavier and has a lack of grip and traction, which results in slow speed.

The Mercedes engineer even shared that the people at the Brackley base have been working on the car. The Silver Arrows have a bigger list of improvements on the 2022 challenger W13 after the Bahrain race compared to last year. Alongside this, the Mercedes engineer also shared the good news that they have learned a lot from their research. Hence, fans might see some new upgrades on the W13 in the upcoming Jeddah race.

Shovlin shared on a Spotify interview, “We are working race by race at the moment. The factory trying to bring absolutely anything that can in the next few days. We are learning with every day. Every time the car’s out on track there is a lot of work going on.”

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“The factory is trying to understand what’s going on. But we are learning every day. And if we got something useful to bring to Jeddah then sure we can get it on our car,” the Silver Arrow engineer continued.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff taking a chainsaw on W13

The Silver Arrows were one of the least favorites to get on the podium in the first race. Despite this, Lewis Hamilton eventually got a third-place finish in the first race. It is believed that both the Mercedes drivers got lucky as their main rivals, both the Red Bull drivers retired from the race due to a suspected fuel pump issue.

After the race, team principal Toto Wolff revealed that both the W13 had a lot of drag. So, both the cars were tough to drive and couldn’t run at their maximum race pace. But the Mercedes boss shared that the team is working on the fixes. He also shared a sarcastic way to improve their car himself. The Mercedes boss reveals his immediate plan to reduce the drag by cutting the rear wings of the W13 with a chainsaw.

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The Brackley base will return with their cars for the Saudi Arabian GP. It would be fascinating to see whether the new upgrades will bear any fruits or still have to rely on lucky accidents like the ones that took place in Bahrain.