Former Mercedes F1 team executive director Paddy Lowe does not understand why the Silver Arrows continue to underappreciate their dominance in the 2014 season. The Mercedes side dominated the 2014 season as they won all the races of the campaign barring three.
Lowe’s recent remarks come after seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton claimed that Red Bull’s current car (RB19) was the fastest car he had ever seen in F1 history. The 38-year-old claimed that when his Mercedes side were fast, they ‘weren’t that fast’ as the RB19.
Red Bull has begun the 2023 season in emphatic fashion by claiming a 1-2 in both the opening races. Max Verstappen won the season opener in Bahrain, while Sergio Perez claimed his fifth F1 win in Saudi Arabia.
‘Nothing to be ashamed of’: Lowe on Mercedes’ 2014 domination
As per German publication Motorsport-Total, Paddy Lowe told formula1.co.uk’s YouTube channel, “I don’t think any other team has ever had that much of a lead [as Mercedes].” Lowe explained his point by stating how the Silver Arrows had the liberty to manage their engine power for most of the races because of their sheer domination.
Speaking of Mercedes’ domination in 2014, Lowe added, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of”. This is because he believes that this was arguably the greatest ever achievement in F1 history for an engine manufacturer. Consequently of such consistent success, Lowe does not understand why Mercedes downplays their success.
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Silver Arrows registered a record of winning 8 consecutive titles
Mercedes dominated the turbo hybrid era (2014-21) as they clinched a record eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships. During this time, star driver Lewis Hamilton won six of his seven championships.
Moreover, he almost clinched a seventh (eighth overall) with the side as well in 2021 when he was denied by Max Verstappen by the narrowest of margins (eight points). Had Hamilton clinched this title, he would have stood alone with eight world championships, beating the record of seven titles set by Michael Schumacher.
The only season in which Hamilton and Mercedes were posed more of a challenge than usual was in 2017. The introduction of the extreme downforce and wide-body rules brought Ferrari back into the title picture.
However, even then, the Silver Arrows managed to win more races than their title rivals. Hence, considering Mercedes’ staggering success during this period, it seems strange that Hamilton would tend to forget the domination that his team had until just a few years ago.
