The upcoming Grand Prix in the United States will be a massive event for all F1 fans around the globe. It will be an important milestone for multiple drivers and a chance for Mercedes to redeem themselves after making a couple of crucial strategic mistakes by double stacking Hamilton and Russell despite the latter begging them not to. Hamilton finished 8th which is a significant underperformance and a bad decision on the part of Mercedes.
The Japanese GP Weekend was disappointing
Mercedes did not recognize some crucial problems. For example, there was no straight-line speed which was not the best setting for vehicles without a strong focus on downforce. The head of engineering at Mercedes Andrew Shovlin was very vocal about the difficulty of overtaking and other issues that were related mostly to the chosen strategy.
During the race, the team decided to double-stack Hamilton and Russell while other drivers were able to switch tires according to the situation and gain a significant upper hand. Russell was quite frustrated with decisions from his team and said that the idea of double-stacking was quite lackluster and ultimately led to noticeable underperformance and disappointing fans.
While the Japanese GP was not something to remember for Mercedes, the team has multiple ideas on how to improve its position during the next GP in the United States.
What the team plans to do
Shovlin said that the Mercedes team will be using a new aerodynamic upgrade to ensure that their vehicles have an advantage during the US GP. Red Bull and Ferrari both had superior cars on the track and the whole year was the year of their dominance. Mercedes had no business competing against better-equipped vehicles that could simply outmaneuver what the team could field.
The 2023 car will be a much better representation of what the engineering team at Mercedes is capable of. For example, they are planning to use advanced aerodynamic design in the body design while removing multiple components to reduce weight. New materials will be used to create substitute parts for the new vehicle the team is planning to use in the US GP.
