Mercedes arguably had their worst race of 2023 in Sao Paolo last week. After seeing their horrendous outing, fans aren’t expecting much from the team, performance-wise, in the coming race in Las Vegas. This could be a problem if true, especially because they are still locked in a battle for P2 against Ferrari.
The Silver Arrows faced multiple issues with their challenger – the W14 – in Sao Paulo. Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton complained that the W14 was barely drivable and kept sliding off the track due to balance issues.
Now, the chances of a Mercedes redemption in Las Vegas seem slim. Ahmed Baokbah revealed an evaluation on X, which noted how tricky things can be for Toto Wolff’s men in the United States.
W14 won’t make it out alive in one piece at Las Vegas GP pic.twitter.com/4gNLxBidN2
— ً (@tsimiks) November 5, 2023
According to Baokbah, Mercedes will face the same problems in Las Vegas. This is because they did not have great straight-line speed and were struggling with tire temperatures. The latter was also due to the fact that Interlagos is situated 800m above sea level.
Notably, Vegas is 600m above sea level and has plenty of long straights. With this, the track’s temperature is also expected to go up by 41 degrees.
Despite all of this, team principal Wolff has promised to do better in the upcoming races. However, the drivers want this season to end as soon as possible. Hamilton himself admitted that he cannot wait for the season to end.
Mercedes drivers share their frustration after Sao Paolo GP
After the Sao Paolo GP, Russell admitted that it was their worst race of the season and Hamilton was equally unimpressed. Their struggle with the W14 saw them go down the order and eventually lose chunks of points.
Mercedes lost the opportunity to take advantage of Charles Leclerc’s DNF and build a gap from that. the seven-time world champion already wants to get rid of the W14. Russell was forced to retire from the race whereas Hamilton somehow managed to get four points for the Brackley-based outfit by finishing P8.
Every point counts 👊 Onto Vegas ➡ pic.twitter.com/eAbQGZw2Rc
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) November 6, 2023
Mercedes’ horror show in Brazil also means that Hamilton’s wish of winning a race goes begging once again. The seven-time world champion has not won a race since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.
Mercedes are still at very much risk of losing their P2 position in the Constructors’ championship to Ferrari. They have a 20-point lead over the Italian team, with two more races to go.
