SUMMARY
- Mercedes finally makes a major step forward after a series of pit stop mishaps in 2023
- Lewis Hamilton endured majority of Mercedes' poor pit stops
Formula 1 is a sport that leaves every single viewer on the edge of their seat every single second. With everything counting on the very next second and revolving around speed and time in all aspects, Mercedes has now come up with plans to up their game to be faster and more equipped for the 2024 season solely to beat Red Bull.
The Red Bull and Mercedes cold war has been a prominent subject in the sport for a long time with every fan either getting into the thrill of the sport because of the controversy or picking and choosing a side. Nonetheless, after the scandalous end to the Abu Dhabi GP in 2021, Mercedes took it rather personally to want to witness the dethroning of the Austrian team.
All the while, Red Bull has managed to maintain their incredible streak and has secured the most successful season any team has ever had in the history of F1. However, as the Mercedes team pulls all their lethal weapons to help bring their star driver, Lewis Hamilton his 8th record-breaking title, their focus has shifted to improving themselves.
Mercedes invests in Lewis Hamilton’s record-breaking 8th title
Mercedes has wished to see the Briton wave his flag as he becomes the only 8-time champion for three years while watching Red Bull win three championships with Max Verstappen. The Milton Keynes-based team’s dominance has become an abomination for the Silver Arrows team that has over and over watched them win while their Brackley race suit was far behind.
Nonetheless, as the 2024 season approaches, the AMG Petronas team has pulled the necessary gears to bring themselves further ahead in the championship after winning a P2. However, with their rivals and competition being “Mad Max” and the genius mind of Adrian Newey, they will need a lot more than just a well-produced W15 to save them.
Mercedes seems to have made a significant investment in pit-stop equipment before the 2024 season.
After their problems in recent years, they have focused a lot on pit stops over the winter, and we should see a much better pit-stops in the new season.
[@KemalSengulll] pic.twitter.com/5OJqMeCx3r
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) January 15, 2024
Looking into Mercedes’ past season, although they suffered with technical issues they also “pulled a Ferrari” and had some of the slowest pit stops which left both their drivers far behind than they should have been. This caused the team to fall back in the championship and watch Ferrari come close to beating them in the very last race.
Not wanting to risk another poor performance for a team that made its name for winning 8 constructors championships, the team has not invested in new pit stop equipment. Allegedly, the team has been using the same equipment since 2018 and has finally planned to invest in new tools that would make their pit stops efficient and faster.
Lewis Hamilton gets the biggest boost from F1 team boss
As Mercedes pulls into the 2024 season working on their wrongs and pointing out all the flaws that set them for misery, the Silver Arrows team boss has given Lewis Hamilton the biggest boost with plans of bringing the championship home this time around. After extending his contract with the team for three more years, he said,
“I’m staying at Mercedes to beat Red Bull with Lewis Hamilton.”
Toto Wolff on his contract renewal and the W15:
“I’m staying at Mercedes to beat Red Bull with Lewis Hamilton.”
“Those who have driven in the simulator have told us that the 2024 car [W15] doesn’t look like the car of the last two years.”
“If we give Hamilton a good car that… pic.twitter.com/564MxvHVTF
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) January 15, 2024
This was enough for the Briton to know he still has all it takes to beat Red Bull and with a better-developed car for the season, he only has his raw speed and fearless driving to rely on. After an almost successful season in 2023 having secured P2 in the standings, they have drawn all their attention towards bringing back the W11 era in the newly produced W15.