Image shows a Formula 1 car.

Lily Gilbey

2023 saw Mercedes have yet another sore year in Formula 1, following Lewis Hamilton’s Championship loss in 2021. While their streak was expected to end at some point, it’s still sad to see such a high-performing team suffer this much. 

2023 Statistics

Max Verstappen dominated the track last year, with only Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz able to secure a race win. That takes some pressure off Mercedes. But given their success in previous years to outcompete other dominant teams, there are only so many excuses to be made. This year, the team did not see a win for the first time since 2011 and had the lowest points total since 2013. 

It’s widely known that a good quality car does not mean a good car for Sunday’s race. While hope was always held out for those who achieved pole to win Sunday’s race – like Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc – the RB19 always outperformed the other cars on the grid. Unfortunately for Mercedes, this was also true for them. Hamilton achieved pole once, which played a part in the loss of confidence for the drivers and the team. 

Toto Wolff noted his disappointment with the Pit Stop standings where Mercedes came in 7th. “Our mindset in the last 20 years was that we don’t need to be world champions in pit stops, but we need to avoid very slow pit stops,” Wolff said. “It’s come to a situation now where we realise it has become so competitive and we just need to ramp up our game out there.” Pit stops are one of the most important parts of a grand prix weekend. If the timings are not up to scratch, it can really affect the way the race pans out. 

Grief with the W14

George Russell commented on the ever-occurring problems with the W14. “There’s a reason every single race, whether it’s me crashing into a wall or the rain coming down in Zandvoort on the wrong lap or the engine breaking down in Melbourne,” he said. With Russells DNF being so close to a podium finish in Singapore, you can understand his frustrations with the season.

“I had asked for certain changes, and they weren’t done”

 Hamilton shares the same concerns as Russell and comments that his wishes for changes on the car at the start of the season were not met. “I’m sure there were frustrations, because I had asked for certain changes, and they weren’t done.” When a 7 time world champion is telling you what the car needs, I think it’s time to listen.

During pre-season testing at Silverstone, Hamilton voiced that the car felt exactly the same as the previous year, not filling him with any hope for the season ahead with the W14.

Hamilton reflects on the difference between Red bull and Mercedes when it comes to the improvement of their respective cars in the previous seasons. Where Red Bull can identify the problem and fix it that week and the car is fine. But for Mercedes, they couldn’t seem to improve on the problem and didn’t improve for a long time.

Hamilton is grateful for his engineers and his team. However, he expressed his frustrations with the car underperforming when there were high hopes over the last two years. The team’s confidence has been knocked due to this. But they are all still determined for the 2024 season. So far, it’s looking positive, with Lewis securing P3 in the 2023 drivers championship compared to P6 in the 2022 season. 

Hope for the 2024 season

“I’m not going to hold my breath” 

Whether you are a Mercedes fan or not, you cannot help but miss the passion these drivers were once full of. The hope for next year is a struggle, but Hamilton remains positive. “I think we understand the car so much better. They have developed great tools in the background. So, naturally, I’m hopeful. But I’m not going to hold my breath,” he said. 

The cost cap has proved a significant problem in the past two seasons and has been the main driver of Mercedes’ struggle. For Mercedes, they were at an endpoint, the cost cap of £105m meant that they could not go ahead with any of the desired improvements necessary, so they could not improve much from the previous season. Despite this, the 2024 season is looking hopeful in terms of spending. With Red Bull now limited, it’s the perfect opportunity for Mercedes to catch up and get another winning car. 

“I do believe we have a North Star now,” Hamilton added, “which I don’t think we’ve had for two years. But still getting there is not a straight line.”

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Featured image courtesy of Jonathan Ridley via Unsplash. No changes have been made to this image. Image license found here.

Hi, I'm Lily, and i'm currently studying my Masters Degree in Visual Journalism. My passion for motorsport encouraged me to pursue my journalism career further through my writing.

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