2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Saturday – Jiri Krenek
Last week in Jeddah, Mercedes faced difficulties, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualifying in seventh and eighth place, respectively. Russell managed to finish in sixth place, while Hamilton finished in ninth.
The atmosphere within the team, which has won the Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship eight times, was quite gloomy as they struggled to understand the new car design for 2024, which took a completely different direction.
Hamilton repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with his car’s performance in the high-speed sections of the track through the team radio. He had trouble catching up to Lando Norris in the McLaren, despite both drivers being on similar tire strategies. In the end, McLaren finished ahead of Mercedes.
Reflecting on the team’s difficulties in Jeddah, team boss Wolff acknowledged the lack of understanding, stating: “There’s something we don’t understand. We’re quick in almost every other aspect. We know we have a smaller rear wing and we’re compensating for the loss in corners. However, it’s only at high speeds that we’re losing significant time per lap.”
Wolff expressed his concerns about the weaknesses of the W15, emphasizing that they go beyond simple setup errors. He explained: “I believe this is a significant issue. We can only adjust so much here. Our simulations guide us, and based on that, we choose the setup range and determine the appropriate rear wing.”
He further added: “Getting the setup right or wrong can result in gaining or losing a few tenths, but it doesn’t significantly affect performance. It seems to be more of a fundamental issue. We expect the speed to be there, we measure the aerodynamic pressure, but we don’t see it translating into lap time.”
Even in the third year of the current regulations, Mercedes continues to struggle to find solutions to the performance issues of their car. Wolff admitted: “Two years ago, there is something we need to identify and unlock. We need to keep working on it. We have been making a tremendous effort and will intensify our efforts next week with more data to gain a better understanding.”
He concluded with determination: “We will come back strong in Melbourne. We are fully committed to this mission, and I am confident that we will overcome this performance gap.”
If Mercedes continues to face these challenges throughout 2024, Hamilton may have no regrets about his decision to join Ferrari in 2025.
