The Mercedes F1 team has been in terrific form recently. They have won three of the past five races. After a difficult start to the season with an unpredictable W15, the team has finally figured out the concept to unlock the true potential of their 2024 challenger. However, that has not stopped them from continuing to experiment moving forward.
Mercedes‘ upturn in pace coincided with the front-wing upgrades they brought over the Monaco and Canadian GP weekends. The team has continued to develop the W15 – with the Silver Arrows bringing an updated floor design to the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps for the 2024 Belgian GP.
However, as per reports, the team witnessed a return of porpoising with the new design. The change was made towards the front section of the floor by adding a flap element to increase aerodynamic load. However, doing so seemed to increase bouncing on the straights.
The new floor that was introduced at Spa should eliminate the W15’s few remaining weaknesses.
At Spa, the team experienced the porpoising again. However, the set-up caused the problem. The car may have been set up too low and the suspension too stiff.
At Zandvoort, the… pic.twitter.com/OZA96BkCVb
— F1_MercHub (@F1MercHub) August 20, 2024
Auto Motor und Sport (as quoted on X (formerly Twitter)) suggests that the team have since figured out an alternative explanation for their porpoising issues. The Brackley-based team feel that the setup they chose to implement during the weekend resulted in a very low ride height and stiff suspension – resulting in the bouncing.
Therefore, going into the 2024 Dutch GP, Mercedes are ready to give the new floor, introduced in Belgium, a second chance. The team is confident that it can “eliminate the W15’s few remaining weaknesses.”
If this is the case, then Lewis Hamilton is likely to have a grandstand finish to his Mercedes career. The #44 driver has already bagged two race wins (Silverstone and Spa) this year, and with 10 races to go, he can bring himself into contention for the championship.
As things stand, Hamilton sits 127 points behind Max Verstappen in the championship. If the Briton is able to beat the Dutchman, this would be the biggest overturning of a points deficit to win the title after the summer break. Hence, the gamble by Mercedes could very well be worth the risk.
