The Mercedes team is off to a rocky start this season, with only 26 points and a fourth-place ranking in the constructor’s championship after two races.
Uol BR report that the team has identified a lack of grip in high-speed curves as a major issue.
“The main problem is that we didn’t have enough grip in the fast corners. It’s something we’re working hard to understand because in Melbourne” – Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes Tech Chief
Mercedes only using 60% of the throttle
“The car’s balance was not very good. We saw that the car would come off the back when they tried to push, and since the walls aren’t too far away, these are corners where the drivers need confidence” Shovlin said.
This is especially problematic during qualifying, when the driver needs to feel confident when navigating the fast corners. Verstappen was able to navigate this portion of the track at the end of the first sector at full throttle, but the Mercedes pair was only using 60% of the throttle.
Slower than the Alpines
According to Shovlin’s calculations, just the first sector was causing them to lose three to four tenths. Furthermore, the telemetry revealed that the Mercedes was even slower than the Alpine between turns 6 and 11, the track’s primary fast turns.
Mercedes Working Hard to Address Issues
The Mercedes team is not taking the issue lightly, and they are working hard to address the problem before the next race. They are analyzing data from the previous races and conducting simulations to understand the cause of the lack of grip in high-speed curves.
The team is also making changes to the car’s setup and testing new parts to improve performance.
Despite the challenges they are facing, the Mercedes team remains optimistic about their chances this season. They have a strong team and a history of success, so they are confident that they can overcome this issue and get back to winning ways.
