James Allison reflects on Mercedes F1’s breakthrough, questioning past decisions. Could the new front wing be the key to reclaiming their dominance in Formula 1?
The new flexible front wing, brought by Mercedes F1 to Monaco, has revived hope for the German team: could Mercedes F1 reclaim its status as a top team throughout the year? Has the team finally found its “North Star,” as Lewis Hamilton likes to say?
Until now, as James Allison revealed, the Mercedes F1 car was either fast in slow corners or high-speed corners, but never both simultaneously.
This inconsistency has been a focal point in the car’s development, commented the team’s technical director on the “Beyond the Grid” podcast.
“I think what has hindered us since the beginning of the year is that it was possible to have a good car in a slow corner and a good car in a fast corner, but not both at the same time…”
“What has changed over the past two or three races is that we have modified the car to have a reasonable balance between low-speed and high-speed corners – with a reasonable balance in those corners.”
“This means the driver can trust both the front and rear of the car in a fast corner and a slow corner. He can trust it from the moment he hits the brakes at the start of the corner, through the apex, and out of the corner.”
“This balance is crucial for a driver, who needs to know if the car will understeer or oversteer and if it will follow the desired trajectory.”
The paddock is abuzz about the new front wing Mercedes F1 introduced in Monaco, and James Allison confirms this new part is significant in the aerodynamic recovery of the W15!
“It’s one of the most important things, and it’s simply about trying to understand how to get the car to handle well in a low-speed or high-speed corner.”
“We have battled all year with the suspension, bars, and all the mechanical accessories of the car, and we have tackled the car’s aerodynamic characteristics.”
Is this new front wing a “Eureka moment” for Mercedes F1? James Allison tacitly admits it might be… offering remarks that could be seen as a slight to former technical director Mike Elliott.
“Eureka moments are those where you joyfully understand something that no one had grasped before and advance our knowledge of the car.”
“It’s a wonderful thing, but it’s more of an ‘oh my god, how could we have been so stupid’ moment, where you see the path forward and realize you should have seen it earlier.”
“I think it’s quite easy to get distracted by things that are secondary problems rather than the main issue and to think that if you fix this little thing, everything will be fine.”
“Since 2022, we’ve been working on things that have improved the car but weren’t the fundamental problem.”
“And it wasn’t related to budget caps.”
A more disappointing Spanish Grand Prix for Mercedes F1?
James Allison concluded with a note of pessimism or realism, depending on one’s perspective.
Mercedes F1 was very strong in Monaco and Montreal, but the Grand Prix in Barcelona this weekend might be less favorable for the Silver Arrows, according to their technical director.
“We can certainly make the car really competitive this season and fear no circuit.”
“I think the specifics of the Montreal circuit might lead our fans to prematurely think we are already there. While I am confident we can perform well in upcoming races, I would be surprised if we took pole position in the next race.”
“But I am absolutely certain we can be as fast as anyone in the coming period.”
Mercedes F1’s Eureka: A Game-Changing Front Wing. Mercedes F1’s Eureka: A Game-Changing Front Wing
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