Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is aware that his car is not the one of yesteryear. The porpoising that has affected much of the grid persists in the W13 and is greater than in the other cars on the grid in the 2022 season.
Those of Brackley are experiencing a sporting drama that they have never experienced before, and the main issue, the rebound suffered by the car, is going from being a mere technical scenario to being able to become a strategic one.
The problem that arises is such that Wolff himself apologized by radio to Lewis Hamilton, as soon as the pilot crossed the finish line in Imola, and assured that they would get out of the situation, but it is not as simple as they initially wanted. believe.
The fact that the W13 was not born well became clear early on, given the problems the team had to deal with in Bahrain. It was a blow for a team that has won several championships but, as difficult as the start was, a quick reaction was taken for granted.
For this reason, nobody could have predicted that, on the eve of the fifth race of the season, the situation would be even worse. The problems have not been solved because four race weekends have not been enough to solve the ailment that afflicts the car, and it is above all this aspect that has kept Brackley’s engineers awake at night.
The Mercedes bounces in a very visible way, but it is not the only one that does it. In fact, one of the cars in which porpoising is most easily observed is the Ferrari, which now leads the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
There are jumps and jumps, and this is the explanation that Mercedes relies on to explain a problem that is causing George Russell chest and back pains, due to the intensity of the porpoising he experiences when driving his W13.
According to Wolff, the big difference between Mercedes ‘ porpoising and other teams’ porpoising is how often the car bounces. This aspect also determines the impact it has on how the car behaves under braking.
“The behavior of the Ferrari seems to be different from ours,” said the Mercedes official. “Our frequency seems to be higher and when we hit a braking point our car doesn’t stabilize, whereas the Ferrari car does.”
The strong porpoising effect triggers other problems, as Mercedes engineers are forced to use lower performance settings, which also has an impact on tire management.
The three flow directors in front of the pontoons of the W13
Time is running out and, after two pre-season test sessions and four race weekends, the problem is no longer just a technical one, as the moment is approaching when Mercedes will have to decide whether to continue to believe in the project or redirect its energies towards development by 2023.
The next few weeks will be crucial, as the team plans for the technical updates to arrive during the Barcelona weekend. For the moment, Wolff has put pessimistic thoughts aside and says he does not rule out rejoining the fight for the titles.
Detail of the flat bottom of the Mercedes W13
Wolff doesn’t want to hear about the possibility of turning the page just yet, but the Spanish Grand Prix looks a lot like a last call.
“Before making a decision of this type, it is essential to understand the origin of the problem,” he explained. “I don’t think our project is wrong, and there’s no point in moving on to a new one if you haven’t understood what wasn’t working in the previous one.”
“When the fronts where we were wrong are identified we will decide, consequently, if we manage to lower [the height of the] car, the W13 project could also confirm [to have] a good potential, so we still have to take time and work” .
The hope, of course, is to improve the situation without running into structural problems , a scenario that would force the team to look ahead to next season.
At the moment there do not seem to be any financial obstacles related to the budget limit. All the teams are trying to develop their respective cars using the wind tunnel and CFD, while for Mercedes, at the moment, the study is more focused on solving problems than perfecting the details of the set-up, like their rivals, but the impact on costs is as expected.
“We have not decided to embark on a new project,” Wolff clarified, “a decision that would have a huge cost impact. So far we remain focused on what we have and continue with our program.”
The results have changed from last year, and with them the questions Wolff hears from the media. At Imola, he was asked if he regretted his decision to keep a financial stake in the team, valued at around 300 million pounds (around 357 million euros), and not give in to the temptation of leaving at the end of 2021. .
“Sell and go to the Maldives? I don’t really think about it,” he reiterated. “If I really went out there and stopped doing what I’m doing, I think I would shut down. I’m doing something that I really enjoy, the results at the moment are not good, but Formula 1 is going very well and as a team, in the aspect We are in a very positive position financially. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
