F1 News: Mercedes Could Have Fixed Major Issue From 2023 - "He Has The Speed"

Day 3 of pre-season testing suggests Mercedes has gained performance over its 2023 car.

Examining the performance of Mercedes' W15 in the 2024 pre-season testing, it appears that the team may have successfully addressed a significant problem that posed a major challenge in the previous year. According to observations from Sky F1's Anthony Davidson, the current car seems capable of overtaking without relying on DRS, a notable improvement compared to the W14, which struggled to gain an extra edge without DRS.

Key Takeaways:

• Mercedes' W15 shows promising improvements in the 2024 pre-season testing, with the ability to overtake without relying on DRS, as noted by Sky F1's Anthony Davidson.
• Both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell express satisfaction with the car's performance, acknowledging improvements and a positive driving experience.
• The true competitiveness of the W15 will be confirmed in the upcoming 2024 season, facing rivals that may have also improved during the winter break. The initial races will provide clarity on the car's overall performance.

After developing an entirely new car, Mercedes's new approach to its 2024 car might have paid off, as seen over the three-day pre-season testing session in Bahrain. Drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have also shared similar thoughts of the car being a lot better to drive. 

Speaking on the W15's enhanced performance, Davidson highlighted a noticeable change during Sky's coverage on day 3. He said:

"The interesting thing there is that he wasn't using DRS to get that overtake done. I feel like it was a bit of a weakness for Mercedes last year, the car being a bit on the draggy side.

"Sometimes you saw them running with DRS active and they still weren't quite able to get the overtake done. He had the speed, so I think that's a bit of a change from last year."

Positive Feedback From Mercedes Drivers

Hamilton, who concluded his last pre-season test with Mercedes, drove for 123 laps on Thursday, setting the third-quickest time. Here's what he had to say:

"We've clearly made an improvement with this year's car and it's much nicer to drive.

"A big thank you to everyone at Brackley and Brixworth for the efforts they've put in to deliver that over the past year. I'm really grateful for all their hard work.

"We've still got progress to make of course. But this is a good foundation for us to build on."

Russell, who had the car to himself on Wednesday for 122 laps, also spoke on similar lines. He added:

"It definitely is an improvement there's no doubt about that.

"But you could have the worst car to drive but if it's faster than everybody else you'll be happy with it. So it was definitely pleasurable to drive [on Wednesday]. I had a good feeling within the car, but we know that all of the other teams have made a good step forward."

Nevertheless, even with these enhancements, the true competitiveness of the W15 will only be evident when it faces off against rival cars that have likely made progress during the winter break. A more accurate assessment of the car's performance will likely emerge during the initial races of the 2024 season.

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