European F3 and FIA F2 champion Schumacher was dropped by the Haas F1 team at the end of 2022 owing to a brace of seven-figure car-splitting crashes that forced the team to abandon upgrades to meet its budgets. The German subsequently rekindled his Mercedes relationship, the manufacturer having backed his junior career, for 2023 with Schumacher serving as reserve driver. But Schumacher is now linked with an LMDh drive with Alpine in 2024. Motorsport.com understands that the French sportscar marque wants a big-name signing to lead its fledgling programme, although an announcement on the driver line-up is unlikely to land until October. Mercedes motorsport boss Wolff said that Schumacher signing for Alpine would not have to end his relationship with the team since he is “part of the family” and “will always have a home.” Wolff said: “Mick has a place here as our reserve driver and is part of the family. “We hope that he stays with us in that role. We will give him … [Read more...] about Schumacher can remain Mercedes F1 reserve amid Alpine WEC links
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Russell has “zero hard feelings” about Mercedes F1 team orders
The Mercedes drivers were running together on track as Ferrari's Carlos Sainz closed in. With Hamilton on fresher tyres and potentially faster than one-stopper Russell, the team agreed to a request from the seven-time world champion to get him in front, leaving Russell to fend off Sainz for as long as he could. Russell initially queried the decision, suggesting that the team wait until the last lap, but he complied after being told it was an instruction. He in turn asked for Hamilton to help his defence by giving him DRS, noting that it was the "least he can do" after "he pushed me off the track earlier". Hamilton agreed to help, but nevertheless, Sainz soon got past. However, the Spaniard was unable to do anything about Hamilton. After the flag, Russell said he had no issue with the team orders as the intention was to boost the overall result for Mercedes. "Yeah, of course," he said when asked by Motorsport if he accepted the place swap. "You use the radio as a … [Read more...] about Russell has “zero hard feelings” about Mercedes F1 team orders
Hamilton: Mercedes needs best ever six months of F1 development to catch Red Bull
After a disappointing Japanese Grand Prix weekend, where Mercedes found itself appearing to have only the fourth-quickest car, it is aware of just how far ahead Red Bull remains right now. And Hamilton, who has been pushing hard for Mercedes to totally revamp its concept approach, says that there should be no shying away from accepting the size of the gap that needs to be closed before the start of the 2024 season. “I have no idea where the car is going to be next year, but we’re a long, long way away,” he told Sky . “We’ve got to hope for the next six months to be the greatest six months of development that we’ve ever had to close that gap and to be really banging on the door.” While the time gap to the front looks sizeable, Hamilton thinks that the example of McLaren – which changed car approach to help it emerge as Red Bull’s main rival now – is proof of the leap that his team can make. “The evidence is there at McLaren, and we can’t turn a blind eye to that … [Read more...] about Hamilton: Mercedes needs best ever six months of F1 development to catch Red Bull
Japanese GP: F1 technical images from the pitlane explained
Red Bull Racing RB19 technical detail Photo by: Uncredited As the Red Bull mechanic scans the underside of the RB19, we are treated to a view of the floor fences on the other side of the car, which shows how twisted they are along their vertical axis and how they interact with the curvature of the floor. Alpine A523 technical detail Photo by: Uncredited Another view of the floor fences, this time on the Alpine A523 and from more of a down the line view. It’s clear to see there are differences in the approach compared to Red Bull. Williams FW45 technical detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola Rear end of the Williams FW45 with a relatively low downforce rear wing but notably a large upper flap for increased DRS effect. Aston Martin AMR23 technical detail Photo by: Giorgio Piola Aston Martin has a teardrop-shaped housing attached to the lower portion of the rear wing pillar in which there are sensors to gather information on how much the … [Read more...] about Japanese GP: F1 technical images from the pitlane explained
Hamilton: Mercedes DRS request for Russell “made no sense”
The pair were running close together on track in fifth and sixth in the closing stages of the Suzuka race as the fast-charging Sainz closed up behind them. Hamilton, who was on better tyres, was eventually allowed past Russell, but was then immediately ordered to slow down to try to keep Russell within DRS range so he would not be such a sitting duck against Sainz on the straights. This came just one week after Sainz himself brilliantly used to tactic to give Lando Norris a boost, which successfully staved off an attack from Mercedes . But Hamilton questioned the tactic as he felt that not being allowed to pull clear and build up a big enough gap against Sainz was completely the wrong thing to do. "I don't think that was a good idea at all," explained Hamilton. "When they suggested it to me, I knew that they had obviously thought of it from the last race, and it made no sense. "I needed to get as far clear ahead as possible and I was on my way. I was around two … [Read more...] about Hamilton: Mercedes DRS request for Russell “made no sense”
Tech expert warns Mercedes will be ‘at best fourth fastest’ in F1 2024 season
F1 technical expert Gary Anderson fears Mercedes will begin the F1 2024 season as the fourth-fastest team “at best” after making no discernible progress since the start of 2022. Having won a record eight Constructors’ titles from the beginning of F1’s V6 hybrid era in 2014, Mercedes have been restricted to just one race win since the ground effect regulations came into effect last year. Mercedes entered 2023 aiming to return to title contention, but were forced to redesign their W14 car after an alarming display at the season opener in Bahrain and have made only limited progress since a heavily revised chassis arrived in Monaco at the end of May. Mercedes tipped to stay behind McLaren and Ferrari in F1 2024 Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were more than a second off Max Verstappen’s time for pole position at last weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, with the former 49 seconds adrift of the winning Red Bull at the chequered flag. Hamilton appeared demoralised at the end of the … [Read more...] about Tech expert warns Mercedes will be ‘at best fourth fastest’ in F1 2024 season
How Red Bull went away from ‘polar opposite’ Mercedes to master regulations
Adrian Newey spoke of how Red Bull stuck with “gut feeling” that their concept was the right path versus Mercedes, and how right they were. Red Bull and Mercedes went in totally different directions with their take on the new regulations introduced for F1 2022, and when Mercedes first unveiled their unique ‘zero pod’ concept, alarm bells were ringing over what this could mean for their performance versus the pack. As it turned out though, Red Bull are the team that got it right, refining their approach through 2022 and into F1 2023 to become the dominant force of the Formula 1 grid. Adrian Newey details Red Bull development path Asked during the Beyond the Grid podcast what Red Bull got so right about these regulations to create such an advantage, Newey joked: “I can’t tell you that, Can I?” Newey though did delve into some details on their current dominating performance, explaining how nailing the regulations early has allowed F1 2023’s RB19 to be a “very close evolution” … [Read more...] about How Red Bull went away from ‘polar opposite’ Mercedes to master regulations
Mercedes reveal W14 digital launch on February 15th
Mercedes’ F1 W14 car, which it will race in the 2023 Formula 1 season, is to be launched on Wednesday 15th February during a live digital event. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The team announced that their new car will be launched through a live stream broadcast across the team’s social media channels. After winning only one grand prix last year, Mercedes will be hoping to recapture their former success with their new design after overcoming several of the problems and the design misdirections they took in 2022 under the first year of F1’s new technical regulations. Mercedes finished third in the constructors’ championship last season, failing to win any of the two world titles for the first time in the V6 turbo hybrid era. Russell won last year’s Brazilian Grand Prix in his first season with Mercedes, while Hamilton’s time at the team since joining in 2023 has resulted in 82 wins, 77 pole positions and six world championship titles. There’s a change … [Read more...] about Mercedes reveal W14 digital launch on February 15th
Pundit fears Mercedes ‘seem to only be getting worse’ ahead of 2024’s ’50/50 gamble’
Outshone by Ferrari and McLaren in recent races, BBC F1 commentator Harry Benjamin fears Mercedes are not only “getting worse” but that next year may not be any better with the team set to take a “gamble” on an all-new car. Nearing the end of a season in which the pendulum, at least the one behind Red Bull, has swung between Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin, Mercedes may be second in the standings but today they’re fourth on the track. Unable to take the fight to McLaren at the Japanese Grand Prix, a frustrated Lewis Hamilton finished the race in fifth place behind both McLarens and Charles Leclerc. Mercedes making ‘quite considerable’ changes for 2024 He was left to rue the team’s lack of progress, saying his issues in the race were “100 percent concept” related and that the car is “such a handful and basically the exact same as last year.” Mercedes’ woes this season, even if the wake of the introduction of a B-spec car in Monaco, mean next year they’ll have … [Read more...] about Pundit fears Mercedes ‘seem to only be getting worse’ ahead of 2024’s ’50/50 gamble’