F1 News: Mercedes To Try Again With Failed Upgrade - 'Be Quite Interesting'

Alex Harrington | Aug 2, 2024

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Mercedes driver George Russell (63) during the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Mercedes will be reintroducing a significant floor upgrade to their W15 car at the Dutch Grand Prix, following issues with the modification when it was first used that led to it being removed. This revised component was first tested during Spa-Francorchamps' Friday practice session as part of a package aimed at narrowing the gap with frontrunners like Red Bull and McLaren.

However, the upgrade faced unexpected challenges on its debut. Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell encountered performance issues that prompted the team to revert to their previous setup for the rest of their Spa campaign. This decision was taken to maintain consistency and gather more data, while also playing the weekend as safe as possible. This half worked, with the 7-time champion taking the win, but Russell being disqualified for his car being overweight.

Team Principal Toto Wolff explained that the issues encountered were likely due to setup rather than the new floor itself. In an interview, he noted:

"I think we made a drastic change in order to recover some of the performance, but we believe it wasn't the floor."

"It will be quite interesting when we put everything on the car in Zandvoort and correlate, and see what it does. Then we can be sure whether it's the mechanical bit that we thought, or if there are a few interactions aerodynamically and mechanically that didn't work."

Despite the teething problems with the new components, Mercedes has shown a resurgence, winning three of the last four Grand Prix. Nonetheless, Wolff remains cautiously optimistic about the fluctuating performances across the grid.

"I think we need to remain both feet on the ground. The swings of performance, you see a trend definitely that's positive on our side. With some other teams, you see a negative trend. But I don't think we should really pre-empt how the second half of the season is going to go. I think it's a tough fight, and there are four teams that are giving it everything. I think we can be carefully optimistic. But we've got to prove it. There are 10 races to go," he stated.

The ongoing season promises a tense and competitive showdown among the top teams in Formula 1. The Dutch Grand Prix race weekend will commence with interviews on Thursday, August 22 with the race taking place the following Sunday, August 25.

Mercedes will be going in with confidence.