George Russell crashed into the barriers near turn 6 at the Yas Marina Circuit during the post-season test. However, in the immediate aftermath of the incident, Mercedes sent out a report to absolve the Briton of any guilt, per PlanetF1.com.
The report says- “Mercedes has since confirmed to PlanetF1.com that a component failure was to blame for the incident, and an investigation is underway to narrow down what exactly failed.”
George Russell crash at Turn 6 at Abu Dhabi testing. #F1 #FIA #AbuDhabiGP #AbuDhabi #Pirelli #Mercedes pic.twitter.com/x7tUNx6Iw6
— Maddi (@SocialTerritory) November 28, 2023
The one-day session at the Yas Marina Circuit was conducted courtesy of F1’s official tire supplier, Pirelli. The tire tests run in parallel with the Young Driver’s/Rookie test. There, Russell drove the W14 one last time before his time off. However, after 58 laps, the W14 gave up and reportedly sent the Briton into the barriers.
As ominous as it sounds, this incident would perfectly sum up the mood within the Mercedes camp. The Silver Arrows would be pretty chuffed at having to bid the 2023 challenger farewell after enduring a tough season under its command.
George Russell and Mercedes finally say goodbye to the W14
At the start of the season, the W14 was still carrying the infamous ‘zero pods’ design. However, even after ditching it for a more conventional form, the car suffered massively from aerodynamic inefficiency. Clinching P2 in the Constructors’ was merely a result of their two drivers, Russell and Lewis Hamilton overperforming.
The main problem that plagued the Mercedes duo was the unpredictability and instability caused by a flawed design concept. On more than one occasion, the drivers complained about how difficult the car was to handle while being excruciatingly slow and draggy.
Toto Wolff on the development of the W15:
“The team are so motivated, we have so much good things in the pipeline, so much new things. With all the learning we have we’re in a really good place to see what is coming together.”
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) November 26, 2023
Naturally, the Brackley-based team have taken a note of this. For 2024, it has been reported that the team are going to try and radically overhaul the concepts behind their car. Hence, the W15 is expected to rectify the major flaws incumbent with this year’s challenger.
From first impressions, it looks as though George Russell sees what the team wants to do and is optimistic. Russell was even quoted as claiming, “I’ve seen it in the wind tunnel, we’ll be making some steps forward.”
