Mercedes have been a team in trouble since the chequered fell at the controversial 2021 Formula One Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Following Hamilton’s failed attempt that year to claim a record eight drivers’ title the once all conquering silver arrows team has won just one race – and it was Russell not Hamilton who claimed the top step of the podium in Brazil; 2022.
Just the one Grand Prix victory in now fifty races has seen what was a well oiled machine degenerate into something of a shambles. Mercedes replaced their technical director James Allison with Mike Elliot to oversee the new ground effect cars which came in 2022. Yet unlike Red Bull who nailed the new car design regulations, Mercedes under Elliot built a car which Lewis Hamilton described as “the worst I’ve ever driven.”
Hamilton called for heads to roll
Having gone public that he didn’t believe the senior technical engineer was listening to him, Hamilton appeared to call for Elliot to be sacked following him discovering the 2023 car the team designed, was little better than the W13 from the season before.
In a remarkable turn of events, Lewis after just one Grand Prix in 2023 claimed he did not believe the W14 was any good either. “I don’t think this package is going to be competitive eventually,” he told assembled media in Bahrain.
“I’ve driven so many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn’t need. I think it’s really about accountability,” Lewis continued.
Elliot had defended his design during testing, stating there was “goodness” in its DNA, but Hamilton was clearly unhappy suggesting Elliot had been stubborn. “There are a lot of engineers, nobody wants to copy anybody, they want to find their own way. “
‘Stubborn’ Mike Elliot had to go
Lewis clearly believed the Mercedes design team should follow the path which Red Bull had taken, rather than try to reinvent the wheel. Just a few races later, Hamilton got his wishes as Mercedes announced Mike Elliot and James Allison would be switching roles, hoping the return of their TD who joined from Ferrari in 2017 could bring back some magic to the drawing board. Yet even with two championship winning cars under his belt, Alison has in fact delivered the worst car Mercedes built since the 2022 regulation change.
Lewis Hamilton hasn’t finished in the top five this year after six races, something which has never happened before in his glittering F1 career. The team are languishing down in P4 an embarrassing sixty points behind their customer team McLaren, who won the Miami Grand Prix last time out with Lando Norris.
While there is always some fluidity in F1 personnel moving from team to team, Christian Horner quipped in Florida, that they had recruited 220 staff from Mercedes High Performance Powertrain division, many of whom worked on the V6 Turbo hybrid research and development. The result of their efforts was a Mercedes engine which was dominant from 2014 for several years.
Other key senior staff have recently left the team and Loic Serra, the performance director announced in the past two weeks he is leaving for Ferrari. Both he and Mercedes’ driver development director, Jerome d’Ambrosio, will begin work at Ferrari in the latter part of the year.
Scoop on Verstappen exit clause
Wolff loses his number two
d’Ambrosia’s title is misleading given he is the stand in for Toto Wolff at the races the Mercedes boss chose not to attend last year. Wolff was due to miss the Chinese and Japanese Grand Prix this season, but in the end felt it important he attend to lead a team clearly in trouble.
Today in the senior team personnel FIA press conference, James Allison dropped the bombshell that the team was parting company with its chief aerodynamicist Gioacchino Vino, is moving on after six years with the Brackley squad. It’s unclear yet whether Vino’s exit was his decision or as a result of Mercedes’ current struggles with the aerodynamics and balance of its 2024 car.
Allison played down the news choosing to emphasise the team is actively acquiring new technical expertise.
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Mercedes TD plays down staff leaving
“I don’t think there is any point in me offering a commentary on motivation, clearly a team needs to have a critical mass of experienced and good people,” Allison told the media in Imola on Friday.
“We would not wish to see experienced and good people leave us, but we are also gathering experienced and good people at a similar rate.
“So I guess it is our job to try and make sure we act in such a way that people would rather be with us than anywhere else.”
Yet despite James Allison implying all is well, this has the whiff of the rats leaving the sinking ship. Putting together a team of F1 technical engineers is not the work of a moment and in recent years we have seen the best cars dominate from year to year.
Horner responds to Verstappen departure question
Both Mercedes ahead of Red Bull
In Imola Mercedes brought a significant number of upgrades and with Red bull struggling to find the competitive setup, George Russell clocked up the second best time in practice one. While neither Mercedes finished so well in the second track session, Hamilton now came in ahead of his team mate with the fourth quickest time although this was 0.391 seconds slower than Charles Leclkerc at the top of the timesheets.
In another first in recent years, both Mercedes drivers finished the session ahead of both Red Bull cars. The best an unhappy Max Verstappen could offer was a lap over half a second slower than the Ferrari driver.
MEGA money offer from Ferrari to key individual
Insider: Ferrari to recosder Hamilton/Sainz switch
As we approach the middle of the month of May, it appears there are other goings on in Formula One land besides Adrian Newey leaving Red Bull and Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes. Ferrari have on the quiet been restructuring their team operations and as the closest challenger to the world championship winning team, Fred Vasseur appears to be making progress.
The iconic Italian reed liveried team this week tested a huge upgrade to the car at a ‘filming’ day win Italy. If we believe the Italian media, this will bring four tenths of a second of lap time, which coincidentally is the average gap Ferrari find themselves behind Red Bull this season. Wishful thinking or reality? We shall find out in a few hours…. READ MORE
