Mercedes Worried About Inadequate F1 Pre-Season Testing

Mercedes is apprehensive about the upcoming pre-season testing for the 2023 F1 car. The team believes that three days of testing, to be held in Bahrain from February 23-25, may not be enough to identify potential problems with their new challenger.

The reduction in the testing period, from six days to three, has made the task even more daunting.

During the 2022 season, Mercedes faced significant issues with their W13 car, which was plagued by severe porpoising and bouncing.

The team hopes that their new W14 car will help them contend for the F1 title this year. They completed a shakedown of the car last week at Silverstone, which was reportedly successful, although there were rumors of early technical glitches.

However, Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott has expressed concerns about the limited testing time. Elliott is worried that a three-day test may not be sufficient to identify and resolve significant issues with the new car.

He stated that the team never managed to balance the car last year, and that they were unable to perform the usual pre-season work due to the issues they were trying to address.

The shortened testing period has two significant impacts, according to Elliott. The first impact is on reliability. If there are any issues with the car during the test, there will be very little time to learn and rectify the problems.

Furthermore, the limited testing time will not provide enough mileage to measure the car’s absolute reliability.

The second impact is that the team must use their limited time efficiently to gather as much information as possible.

They need to work out how to maximize the car’s performance and what they can learn to improve future developments.

George Russell, one of Mercedes’ drivers, thinks that three days of testing are not enough. He suggests that teams should be allowed to run two cars in testing to make up for the lack of track time.

He believes that one and a half days per driver is insufficient, considering the long break between the end of the previous season in Abu Dhabi and the start of pre-season testing in Bahrain. Russell thinks that three days of testing with two cars would be the best compromise.

“in my opinion, having two cars during the three-day testing period would be the best compromise, considering the reasons behind the time limit. As of now, I think one and a half days per driver is too limited.”

Mercedes F1 Pre-Season Testing Mercedes F1 Pre-Season Testing

• MORE FORMULA 1!
• Teams have shown interest in Honda’s F1 engines for 2026
• Rumor – Mercedes W14 May Not Meet the Expectations of Hamilton

Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram  for all the latest updates between issues.