Russell: Mercedes appeared to be “tripping over” during the W14 problems

As the team attempts to catch up to Red Bull in 2024, the British driver describes how difficult it was for them to comprehend the issues with their car design.

George Russell admitted that Mercedes’s difficulties with the W14 have resulted in the company “tripping over” itself.

With only one victory at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, the squad has had a challenging two years. The most recent season was their first without a victory since 2011.

When the new ground effect restrictions went into effect in 2022, a lot of their issues were caused by the design direction they had taken earlier. The W13 was most negatively impacted by the porpoising effect.

This was resolved with the W14, although the team was still beset by setup problems and the car’s instability at high speeds. As they prepare to battle Red Bull for the title, Russell thinks they have a good understanding of the W15’s issues.

“The last two years have been challenging for the team, off the back of eight championships and finishing third and 2022 was a bit of a surprise,” said Russell.

“Not just the result, but the challenges we faced. We didn’t understand the car. The problems we were tripping over took a lot of time to understand and resolve.

“I feel like those two years we’ve we’ve learned so much as a team, we’ve developed our tools. We’ve got much better correlation from our simulations and wind tunnel to the real track, which is vital for the years to come.”

Russell expects to close the gap with Red Bull after ‘reality’ hits in 2023

Despite failing to claim the victory in a race in 2023, Mercedes came in second place in the Constructors’ Championship, three points behind Ferrari.

Russell pointed out that the squad was too far behind Red Bull, even though it might not be viewed as a disastrous year.

“Ultimately, if you look back on the last 10 years for the team, eight championships and then the bad years were P3 and P2,” said Russell.

“So it just goes to show the expectations we hold ourselves by. The result on paper wasn’t bad last year, but the reality of how far we were to take the Red Bull was too far.

“We know we’ve got a lot a lot of closing up to do. I’m confident this car is going to be a step in the right direction. But now we just have to continue working and continue pushing.”

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F1, F1 2024, FIA, Formula 1, Mercedes, George Russell