One year after Mercedes dramatically shifted its Formula 1 car philosophy at the Monaco Grand Prix, the team remains far from its winning ambitions. The highly publicized ditching of the ‘zero-sidepod’ design in favor of a more conventional approach was intended to resolve fundamental issues, but has inadvertently introduced new challenges for the Mercedes 2024 F1 Car, the W15. This has left the team not only struggling to compete for race wins but also lagging behind customer teams like McLaren, who utilize the same Mercedes engine.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff openly acknowledges McLaren’s impressive turnaround, highlighting their transformation from midfield contenders to consistent podium finishers and race winners as a “fantastic recovery story”. However, the question remains: why hasn’t Mercedes, with its vast resources and championship pedigree, experienced a similar resurgence with the Mercedes 2024 F1 car?
The Misconception of Sidepod Significance in the Mercedes 2024 F1 Car
While the visual change to the sidepods of the Mercedes 2024 F1 car garnered significant attention during the Monaco 2023 upgrade, Mercedes has consistently emphasized that this was not the core of the transformation. Technical director James Allison clarified that the crucial changes were focused on the underfloor, rear brake drums/ducts, and front wing. Subtle adjustments to the front suspension aimed to improve platform control were also implemented.
These modifications were all geared towards enabling the Mercedes 2024 F1 car to operate at lower ride heights, a critical factor in generating necessary downforce without triggering theReturn of bouncing or porpoising issues that plagued previous iterations.
The Mercedes W15, the team’s 2024 contender, is the embodiment of this revised design philosophy. Despite these significant changes, the Mercedes 2024 F1 car currently occupies fourth place in the constructors’ championship and demonstrates an average pace that positions it as the fourth fastest car on the grid, having recently surpassed Aston Martin.
This performance data validates Allison’s assertion that the sidepod alteration was not the pivotal element. However, the reality remains that the Mercedes 2024 F1 car trails behind the leading trio of Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren. While Monaco offered glimpses of competitiveness, the Imola race the preceding weekend presented a more accurate reflection of the car’s current standing.
Lewis Hamilton, after finishing sixth at Imola, conceded that the Mercedes 2024 F1 car suffered a race-pace deficit of three to four tenths per lap. He expressed concern that such performance gains are not currently achievable through wind tunnel development for Mercedes.
Nevertheless, Imola serves as a benchmark for the tangible progress Mercedes has made. Wolff recalled their previous visit to Imola as “horrendous,” highlighting the severe bouncing problems that severely hampered the team in the nascent stages of the current regulations in 2022. While the Mercedes 2024 F1 car still bears the consequences of initial misdirection, there are indications that the team is gradually closing the gap.
Incremental Progress, But Is It Enough for the Mercedes 2024 F1 Car?
Since the extensive car revisions a year ago, Mercedes has demonstrably improved the outright pace of its cars, including the Mercedes 2024 F1 car, compared to its predecessors.
Across six circuits that have hosted Formula 1 races in both 2023 and 2024, Mercedes has recorded faster lap times at five of them, with Miami being the sole exception.
However, in relative terms, the team has experienced a slight regression. At the conclusion of last season, Mercedes was approximately 0.5 percent off the pace of the frontrunners. This year, that deficit has marginally increased to just under 0.7 percent.
While the 2023 W14 was fundamentally constrained by its underlying architecture, the expectation was that alterations to the monocoque, gearbox, and critically, the suspension design of the Mercedes 2024 F1 car would unlock greater developmental potential.
Despite somewhat underwhelming results, the consistent progress observed with the Mercedes 2024 F1 car suggests that this enhanced potential is being realized, albeit at a pace that is insufficient to propel them up the competitive order rapidly.
Allison believes that the Mercedes 2024 F1 car is no longer encumbered by fundamental limitations requiring radical changes. The path forward now relies on diligent effort and continuous development to restore Mercedes to a position of prominence.
Pinpointing Performance Gains in the Mercedes 2024 F1 Car
While the sidepods were not the defining modification, their removal on the Mercedes 2024 F1 car did create more space to manipulate airflow around the car’s flanks, mirroring design approaches adopted by other teams.
Conceptually, the most impactful changes revolve around the intended ride heights for the Mercedes 2024 F1 car, the methods employed to achieve these heights, and ensuring consistent performance across varying corner speeds and track conditions.
Allison admitted that the 2023 car was designed to operate at slightly elevated ride heights, a carryover from the 2022 concept. Mercedes underestimated the performance gains achievable by exploiting subtle adjustments to floor height regulations during the winter, regulations they themselves had advocated for.
The Mercedes 2024 F1 car rectifies this oversight. Enhanced anti-lift characteristics in the front suspension and anti-squat in the rear suspension are specifically designed to enable the car to run lower, thereby maximizing downforce generation without triggering bouncing or porpoising.
Upgrades for the Mercedes 2024 F1 car have been progressively introduced throughout the season. Miami saw the debut of a revised front wing featuring chord-length modifications and refinements to the floor edges.
In Monaco, George Russell was equipped with the sole available new front wing. Both drivers are expected to utilize this front wing, described by trackside engineering chief Andrew Shovlin as “a step in the right direction,” in Montreal.
Similar to the 2023 zero-sidepod decision representing a departure from a visually distinctive innovation, the 2024 front wing of the Mercedes 2024 F1 car also signifies a shift.
This new wing abandons the unique design Mercedes implemented at the season’s outset, which connected the narrowed top flap to the nose via a carbon fiber strip to comply with regulations. This design aimed to optimize airflow to the front of the floor, but seemingly at the expense of front aerodynamic load.
These front wing revisions underscore a persistent challenge confronting the Mercedes 2024 F1 car.
Slow Corner Performance Woes for the Mercedes 2024 F1 Car
A primary deficiency of the previous Mercedes 2024 F1 car was rear-end instability in high-speed corners. While addressing this was a priority and has been improved in the current iteration, Russell suggests that this may have resulted in an over-correction with the Mercedes 2024 F1 car.
Having gained a better understanding of the car, it now demonstrates improved high-speed performance – after initial early-season difficulties. However, the challenge now lies in effectively turning the Mercedes 2024 F1 car into slower corners. As Hamilton articulated, “the slower you go the less the car wants to turn.”
This issue is particularly detrimental to Hamilton, whose driving style is characterized by exceptional late braking into slow corners and rapid car rotation on turn-in.
The consequence is a Mercedes 2024 F1 car that excels in fast corners but exhibits understeer in slow corners. Adjusting the setup to enhance slow-corner turn-in compromises its high-speed cornering prowess. This trade-off between fast and slow corner performance is a central focus of ongoing development efforts.
Wolff, borrowing an analogy from Allison, likens the situation to a duvet that is too small – optimizing for one corner type inevitably detracts from performance in the other.
The continuous development program is dedicated to resolving this fundamental imbalance. Allison anticipates tangible progress in this area by the summer break.
Currently, Mercedes is not pursuing radical transformations or miracle solutions to suddenly return to winning races and championship contention with the Mercedes 2024 F1 car. The emphasis is on consistent, incremental improvements.
Abandoning ‘Zig-Zagging’ Development for the Mercedes 2024 F1 Car
Wolff describes Mercedes’ current development strategy as moving away from “zig-zagging,” which has previously led to fleeting periods of optimism followed by performance setbacks for the Mercedes 2024 F1 car and its predecessors.
He asserts that Mercedes has now identified a fundamental direction that instills confidence in their ongoing development trajectory.
This optimistic sentiment echoes the assurance expressed by McLaren team principal Andrea Stella prior to the Austrian Grand Prix upgrade last year, which dramatically elevated his team’s performance.
Unlike McLaren’s anticipated leap forward, Mercedes is not expecting an overnight transformation for the Mercedes 2024 F1 car. However, if they are indeed on the correct path, sustained and steady development should gradually elevate them back into the leading pack. While not currently at the front, they are no longer drastically distant.
A performance comparison between Mercedes and McLaren over the past year illustrates their relative trajectories and highlights the significant impact even minor gains can have.
Mercedes still has much to prove. They must demonstrate their capacity for sustained development and confirm that they have finally established the fundamental understanding of ground effect aerodynamics necessary for consistent success with the Mercedes 2024 F1 car and beyond.
However, they are now positioned to pursue gradual development, rather than further disruptive changes in direction.
Eyes on 2026 for Mercedes F1
The progress Mercedes achieves now with the Mercedes 2024 F1 car and its development is critical for establishing a robust foundation for the upcoming engine and chassis regulation changes in 2026.
While aerodynamic testing for the 2026 cars is prohibited until next January, all teams are already allocating substantial resources to preliminary research and development.
The 2026 cars will continue to utilize powerful venturi underfloors, ensuring that the knowledge accumulated now is directly transferable to the 2026 designs.
Paddock speculation suggests that Mercedes may hold a competitive advantage in power unit development for 2026.
While significant development remains and current comparisons are speculative until the new cars debut, few doubt Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains’ capability to produce a competitive engine.
Wolff affirms that Mercedes possesses an engine department operating at peak efficiency.
This confidence persists despite claims of a “brain drain” at Mercedes, with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner asserting that they have recruited 220 staff from Mercedes for their own powertrains division.
Wolff countered, stating the actual number of engineers recruited was 19. While the total figure, including non-engineering personnel, is understood to be somewhat higher, it is significantly less than the 220 claimed.
Despite the public sparring, Mercedes remains justifiably confident in Brixworth’s capacity to produce a leading engine for 2026.
The crucial question is whether this engine will be paired with a chassis that can match its rivals. The ongoing work and development of the Mercedes 2024 F1 car are therefore paramount in determining whether Mercedes can realistically reclaim its position at the front of the grid in 2026.
