F1 News: Mercedes Chief Reveals Several Car Upgrades For Upcoming Miami Grand Prix

Mercedes still has a few tricks up their sleeves ahead of the Miami GP.

It's no secret that Mercedes is very badly struggling through their 2022 F1 season, but team principal Toto Wolff has finally given us fans something to hold onto as we creep up on the Miami Grand Prix this weekend.

According to the Mercedes chief, the team has found "several directions" to upgrade the W13 after they've spent their season battling against the effects of major porpoising despite an innovative design that removed the sidepods from the car.

To minimise these effects, Mercedes has had to increase the ride height of the car. This has led to increased lap times due to the lack of downforce, but even this change hasn't stopped driver George Russell from getting hurt by the severe juddering his car is experiencing. In fact, according to the Brit, it was so bad at Imola it left him with bad back and chest pain.

At the same weekend, Lewis Hamilton finished with no points as he finished 13th. Wolff described this as a "low" for the car, over the driver. But now, it sounds as though Mercedes may have a glimmer of hope around it as they head to Miami with a few upgrades:

“It was a very difficult weekend for us in Imola,” Wolff admitted. “George did a great job to finish P4 from an unpromising starting position but with Lewis, we didn’t give him the tools or track position to show his true pace.

“Since we returned from Italy, we’ve learned as much from the weekend as we can and, in parallel, our learning has continued in the wind tunnel and simulations.

“We have found several directions for improving the car, and we will be conducting experiments in Miami to correlate those simulations, and hopefully confirm the development path for the coming races.

“Both drivers have been working in the simulator ahead of Miami and the factories have been busy producing updates for the next races.

“The saying ‘smooth seas do not make good sailors’ comes to mind.

“This team has shown its resilience over many years and the difficult start to this season has lit a fire within every team member, determined to put it right.”

Miami will be homing the F1 for the first time this weekend, and Wolff is excited to be taking on the challenge:

“Miami is an exciting new challenge and a complete step into the unknown,” he told the press.

“The track looks demanding, with a real mix of low and high-speed corners, and it’s set to be a spectacular showcase for the sport to our growing US fanbase.

“So, we’re set for a fantastic event, and we can’t wait to see how it all plays out.”

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc is currently leading into Miami, 15 points ahead of George Russell in fourth place and 58 points ahead of Hamilton who sits 7th. Ferrari also sits first in the Constructor Standings 11 points ahead of Red Bull and 47 ahead of the Silver Arrows.