There is no doubt that the W14 in Brazil was nowhere near the pace they had in Mexico and Austin. There was clearly something very wrong with Mercedes’ car. Toto now states that they have identified the issue with the setup and are looking forward to the Las Vegas GP.
During Austin and Mexico, Mercedes was clearly the 2nd fastest car on the grid. They were right behind Max Verstappen’s Red Bull. However, during the Brazil Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton just scraped through to finish in the points. After the race, Wolff came on the radio to apologize for the W14’s performance. Toto Wolff has stated that the issue was with the setup of the car and was resolved.
“We have been hard at work to identify the wrong turn we took with the set-up; we have done that. We understand our mistakes and can explain our performance loss to the field.”
Toto Wolff says Mercedes has found the reasons for their woeful performance at the Brazilian GP.
“We have been hard at work to identify the wrong turn we took with the set-up; we have done that. We understand our mistakes and can explain our performance loss to the field.” pic.twitter.com/zjGq59NEyL
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) November 12, 2023
The misstep at Brazil cost the team and Lewis Hamilton in their respective battles in the Championship table. Lewis Hamilton is currently battling Sergio Perez for 2nd place in the Championship. The Mexican driver currently holds a 32-point lead over Hamilton. With 2 races remaining, it will be difficult for the 7-time Champion to overcome this deficit.
Mercedes currently holds 2nd place in the Championship. However, they are at risk as Ferrari is closing in behind them. They are only 20 points behind. Mercedes’ poor weekend in Brazil has helped Ferrari gain some ground on them despite Charles Leclerc’s DNS.
Mercedes will be hoping to get back their performance for the final 2 races to retain 2nd place in the WCC and help Lewis Hamilton as much as possible to beat Sergio Perez for 2nd place in the WDC.
Will Mercedes be back on the podium for the Las Vegas Grand Prix?
If Mercedes had identified the problem and solved it after Brazil, we could see them fighting for podiums with McLaren and Red Bull. Lewis Hamilton has been performing well this season for the team. He has been able to consistently fight for podiums in the last few races before Brazil.
If the problem is solved and they are back on the pace, there is no doubt that Hamilton and George Russell will put up a fight for the podium or even the win. However, the Las Vegas Grand Prix is expected to be unpredictable due to the weather.
The weather prediction for the Las Vegas Grand Prix is currently at 10 degrees Celsius. However, this could drop if there is any rain in the next few days. It was expected to be 4 degrees which would make it the coldest race in F1 history.
“We could have an upset next year” đź‘€
Jenson Button believes Red Bull won’t have it all their own way next season after the competitiveness of McLaren and Mercedes in the second half of the season âš” pic.twitter.com/AIa8Gpvvis
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) November 13, 2023
It is very difficult for cars and drivers to maintain tire temperatures in cold weather. This could lead to them losing grip and making it seem like driving on ice. As a result, it could lead to a very unpredictable race for the drivers. During the Sprint Race in Qatar, we saw a lot of drivers struggle for grip on the newly laid tarmac. However, things could be worse in Las Vegas.
Hopefully, the teams and drivers along with the help of the FIA and Pirelli will be able to find a way to keep their tires warm for the race. It will be interesting to see what measures are used for tire management during the practice sessions. Do you think the start of the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be chaotic? Post your answers in the comment section below.