F1 News: Mercedes Reveals Upgrade Strategy For Remainder Of 2024 Season

Alex Harrington | Jul 25, 2024

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Crewmembers of the Mercedes driver George Russell (63) cool the car on the grid before the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Mercedes has revealed their development plan for their W15 car for the latter half of the 2024 F1 season, consisting of consistent, incremental upgrades. The team is targeting pole positions and race victories as the season progresses.

The start of the 2024 campaign was challenging for Mercedes, but a marked improvement began over the summer, leading to significant race victories. Notably, George Russell's triumph in Austria marked the team's first win since 2022, and Lewis Hamilton celebrated an emotional victory at Silverstone, ending his winless streak after two-and-a-half years.

The introduction of F1's ground-effect regulations in 2022 initially saw Mercedes falter. However, the team has successfully adapted to these challenges through persistent development. Andrew Shovlin, a key figure behind Mercedes' development, highlighted the structured approach to upgrading the W15.

"We set ourselves some very ambitious performance targets to make sure we were competitive enough to qualify on pole and win races by the end of the year. And then we put in some ambitious plans to sort of meet that in stages with various updates,” he stated.

Shovlin highlighted the unified effort within Mercedes to overcome the early season difficulties.

"What has been brilliant to see is just how well the whole organization has responded to that challenge to try and get us back towards the front. And what we have done has delivered," he remarked. “We’ve been working on the mechanical package as well, trying to focus on every area that delivers performance because you need your wind tunnel to be delivering,” Shovlin explained.

The strategy involves "drip-feeding" updates in upcoming races rather than introducing large overhaul packages. Shovlin conveyed excitement about the ongoing development efforts:

“We’ll be coming over the next few races, drip-feeding it in more than going for big packages. But the mid-term future is quite exciting still. Lots of areas that we’re working on and hopefully those will come through and bring us the lap time that we hope.

“All the different functions of performance are all trying to meet together to make sure that we can bring updates that do deliver what we need,” Shovlin added, reflecting on the cohesive teamwork propelling their progress.

As the season advances, the anticipation around Mercedes' updates and their potential impact on the team’s performance heightens. With a clear focus, Mercedes aims not just for incremental improvements but for a robust finish to the 2024 season.