Mercedes was once a team soaring its way to the top. But with recent times and the regulation changes, they have seen the back of the Red Bull more than they would like to admit. There was a time when Mercedes found itself winning 8 consecutive Constructors Championships. The Silver Arrows team’s star driver, Lewis Hamilton won 7 World Championships equaling Michael Schumacher.
But as Red Bull moves upward, they leave behind a massive gap between Mercedes in the Constructors Standings and on tracks. While for Mercedes, things seem to disagree to go their way. After the change in engine regulations for 2022, it looked like Mercedes lost its “turbo-hybrid” magic completely. In turn, this change forced them to watch Max Verstappen and Red Bull on the podium 15 times in a season.
However, this season has been no different for them. They have only managed to win podiums this season with only one car making it to the front. This regression in the car even left Toto Wolff at a loss for words as he stated that this season has only one Formula 1 car on the track with a bunch of Formula 2 cars.
Will the W13-inspired car bring Lewis Hamilton his 8th title?
While Mercedes kept introducing new upgrades this season, they just did not work out in their favor. But with fate not in their hands, it seems Mercedes has finally decided to discard upgrading the W14 completely. Recently, Mercedes announced that they have already diverted their full focus toward next year’s car.
George Russell, Mercedes’ second driver, revealed that the team is taking inspiration from their race-winning car. This news is one of the best news for Lewis Hamilton. With his W11, the Seven-time World Champion has seen his success top the roof. However, with Red Bull’s newfound success, it is difficult to say a W11 would be all it takes to beat Max Verstappen.
However, there are still 10 races left to face for the Silver Arrows team, which can either send them into a spiral of doubt over upgrading the W14 or sticking to focusing on the W15. Hamilton however has a better chance of making his comeback and getting a chance to fight for his 8th title. But in doing so, we will get to see yet another season of the Verstappen-Hamilton showdown.