After first race of the world championship, the attention of the great enthusiasts is directed not only to Ferrari but also to Mercedes. The beginning of the Brackley stables it was certainly not to be framed, despite the fifth place brought home by Lewis Hamilton and the seventh by Russell. What is worrying at Mercedes is the huge gap from Red Bull, who led the race undisturbed last Sunday.
Start to forget
51 seconds behind Red Bull. An incredible figure if you think that, in 2021, these two teams were fighting for the world championship with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. As everyone knows, it was the Dutch who triumphed. From that moment, the decline of Mercedes began which opened in 2022 with the presentation of the W13. A car that, initially, was thought to be devastating. Absolutely unconfirmed expectations.
Hope 2023
However, the season finale of last year, characterized by the victory of George Russell, had given Mercedes hope in view of the 2023. At the presentation of the new W14, the wait was great. Everyone wondered if in Brackley they had decided to change their philosophy of "zero sidepods”. This was not the case: Mercedes remained faithful to its aerodynamic concept which, however, already after the performance of the test and the first race of the season, seems to have failed. Who did not accept this solution is Lewis Hamilton. The seven-times world champion, at the end of the season in Abu Dhabi, said: "I hope I never see the W13 again in my life." A strong but at the same time very clear message, obviously addressed to its engineers.
Hamilton: “They didn't listen to me. Admitted the mistake"
Declarations that in the end, however, were not well accepted in Brackley, as the philosophy of the car has not changed. Choice that was not appreciated by Hamilton who, in an interview with the BBC, said: “I have driven so many cars in my life. I know what a car needs and what it doesn't. Now it's really about accountability, admitting and saying, 'we didn't listen to you and now we're not where we should be'. I have had many cars with this behavior in the past, especially in the McLaren days and I don't know when or how we will be able to turn. but it will have to happen".
