Mike Elliott admits the rollercoaster behavior Mercedes F1 has experienced throughout the season with its W13 is problematic in preparation for 2023.
After 16 races in 2022, Mercedes still find themselves without a win – although results for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have become much more positive, with podium finishes now regular.
And with their ability to maximize their performance, unlike Ferrari, the German team have a good chance of finishing second behind Red Bull, just 35 points behind the Scuderia with six races remaining.
“I think the season has been quite frustrating,” agrees the technical director.
“Not only because of our overall level of performance compared to previous years, but also the roller coaster we have been on from race to race where we have seen our performance go up and down.
“We worked hard to improve performance and we did it gradually throughout the season, but we also tried to understand why some circuits are good for us and some are bad.
« The work that resulted from that kind of gave us a tool that pretty much predicted where we would be, so we knew going to Monza would be a tougher circuit. Less than Spa but more than Zandvoort and Budapest. »
« I think that said, given the car we had, finishing third and fifth was a good result for us. It showed that we’re using the car very well, the drivers got the best out of it. gone. I guess I couldn’t ask for more than that. »
« Now the concern is that we have to do the same thing to prepare for W14, to move forward with predictions. It’s problematic because even if we understand now roughly what we need to do for our F1 to behaves better, we don’t know if what we’re going to change will be enough. We think so, but here too, starting from a healthier base would have eliminated a lot of doubts. »
Elliott, however, wants to remain positive about the future W14.
« I think what’s really encouraging is the understanding that comes from the simulation work that we’re doing, and the understanding that finally comes from the wind tunnel. It allows us to figure out why our performance goes up and down, what we we need for what we need to do during the winter, these are the key elements that will guide us. »
