Lewis Hamilton was vocal about his displeasure with Mercedes’ approach last year, but things will be different in 2024.
There were early indications that Mercedes would struggle with the W14. Many of these were from pre-season testing, when the lap times did little to flatter the 2023 rival.
The Silver Arrows discovered their error after only one race in Bahrain. The decision was made promptly to discard the “zeropod” concept, which had reached its limit.
Nonetheless, Mercedes was unable to apply its new ideas right away. Even yet, a more traditional design would never alleviate all of their concerns.
This was mirrored in the German team’s performance last season, which only recovered partially until more conventional sidepods arrived in Monaco.
Other consequences of the team’s erroneous development route were felt most strongly by Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton’s contribution is being considered for 2024.
Mercedes F1 began last season with an unusual eating posture in order to accommodate their radical sidepod design. Simply put, the seat in the W14 was more forward than in other cars, which was necessary due to the car’s form.
However, this is not a typical stance for Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time champion asked for a more traditional role, but this was not granted until Mercedes adopted a new philosophy.
With the W14’s more conventional sidepods and a more conventional seating position, Hamilton felt more at ease with the car. As the year progressed, the British driver got more satisfied with the car’s balance than in 2022.
Mercedes, according to a new source, will keep their seat further back in 2024. This will give Lewis Hamilton a better feel for the back of the car, allowing him to extract more performance.
As is customary in Formula One, advancement is dependent on balancing theoretical data with on-track feedback. James Allison and his technical team clearly understand this, as they have changed their approach and responded to earlier failures.
With this broad mentality, the Brackley-based crew will not have the same understanding as Red Bull.
Nonetheless, the last twelve months should have provided them with a greater opportunity to implement the large-scale adjustments required to compete for victories.
