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Mercedes Technical Director James Allison has confirmed new upgrades for the W14, which the team is set to introduce in the upcoming race at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
The Mercedes design team back at Brackley has already shifted its focus to the W15. The upgrades for the W14, however, are aimed at providing a better understanding of the parts and guiding the team on the correct path heading into next season.
Allison confirmed that the team will be introducing a new floor in Austin, but was cautiously optimistic about gaining any performance advantages. He made the comments after the Qatar GP, and was quoted by formu1a.uno as saying:
“We’re going to bring a new floor to the track, but don't expect any major steps forward. It will give us some gain from a chronometric point of view, but it will serve above all to understand if we are on the right track.”
Prior to the Qatar GP, Rosie Wait, Head of Race Strategy, had already confirmed the development of the W14 late into the season to further increase their understanding of certain areas, while being hopeful of adding performance.
“The new parts we bring to the car do both, hopefully add performance and make the current car go faster, but they are all specifically targeted around areas where we need to further our understanding. And the things we will learn from testing them this year will directly feed into the development of the W15.”
The Silver Arrows cannot afford to take another step in the wrong direction next season if it aspires to fight for race wins and eventually championships. Hence, these upgrades will be crucial for the team to start its 2024 campaign on the right note.
The upgrades could also help Mercedes sustain its fight for second in the constructors championship with Ferrari. The Italian team currently trails the Silver Arrows by 28 points with five rounds left in the season.
Former F1 driver warns Mercedes to 'intervene now' following Lewis Hamilton and George Russell crash
The battle between the Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell has been intensifying over the last few weeks. It seemed to reach a tipping point on the first lap of the Qatar GP when an ambitious move by Hamilton denied both drivers a podium finish.
Sky German pundit Ralf Schumacher has asked Mercedes to intervene now to handle the situation to prevent such incidents.
“Lewis gives in too early, simply doesn’t give George enough space,” he told Sky Deutschland. “The Mercedes were strong, they threw away good points. There’s a bit of work to be done between the two now. You can deal with each other either way, the team has to intervene now.”
Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg, who had been in such circumstances, agreed that such collisions shouldn't happen between teammates.
“The mistake wasn’t a big one, but it had big consequences. Of course, something like that shouldn’t happen.”
The battle between the two Brits will continue as George Russell recently admitted that both drivers were on equal terms in the team.
