“Not as Good as the McLarens or Max Verstappen”: Mercedes Recognizes Glaring Problem Amid Intense Battle

After Red Bull dominated the field in 2023, the 2024 F1 season has brought some much-needed competition at the front of the grid. While McLaren and Red Bull are locked in an intense battle for the constructors’ championship, Mercedes has only recently started to become a serious contender.

After a slow start to the Silver Arrows’ campaign, the Canadian Grand Prix marked a turning point for them. Since then, they have constantly challenged for podium finishes and have even secured three race wins in the last four races.

However, despite these successes, Mercedes still has a lot of catching up to do in the standings. They currently sit in fourth place in the championship with 266 points, trailing Red Bull, who leads with 408 points, and McLaren, who is in second with 366 points.

One of the biggest challenges Mercedes has faced so far has been trying to fix its past mistakes. Throughout the early part of the season, the W15 struggled with consistency, particularly in how it handled varying track conditions.

Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin recently explained that the team has been working hard to resolve these problems.

Mercedes is aiming to catch up to the top teams by the end of the season

Shovlin has been candid about the challenges Mercedes has been facing in the development race against their competitors. He acknowledges that while the team has made progress, they are still not as competitive as McLaren or Red Bull.

In a recent interview on Mercedes AMG’s Tech Talk, as reported by Sports Illustrated, Shovlin explained that Mercedes has been consistently delivering updates to their car at every race, which has helped them address various handling issues. He noted that as these problems are resolved, it becomes easier to identify the next steps needed to improve the car’s performance.

One such area he recognizes is managing tire temperatures, particularly at tracks like Budapest. He pointed out that the car still struggles in hot conditions and on tracks that limit the rear tires, stating, “We’re not as good as the McLarens or Max [Verstappen]”.

Shovlin then concluded by emphasizing the importance of continuous development, stating that in Formula 1, “If you’re not developing at a faster rate than the others, then you are going backward.”