Despite being second in the constructors' championship, they are 39 points behind Ferrari in the standings.
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After a difficult start to the season due to major changes to Formula One’s technical rules and regulations, the normally dominant Mercedes team is finding itself in the unusual position of having to catch up to its rivals in 2022. Despite being second in the constructors’ championship, they are 39 points behind Ferrari in the standings. Due to multiple retirements in the first three races, Red Bull is ten points behind the leaders, despite having a significantly faster car.
The squad has been hesitant to make major changes to the W13 because they are concerned that making too many changes at once will ‘confuse’ the design process. However, Mercedes’ chief strategist, James Vowles, said this week that a lot of work was still being done behind the scenes at the team’s headquarters.
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“I think often people see the race team on TV and think that’s the entire team. It’s not,” Vowles said. “We are fortunate to have a base in Brackley, and in Brixworth, with hundreds of people working every hour they possibly can to make this racing car fast, competitive and a championship winner.”
“The work that goes on between races is enormous,” he continued. “There is a turnaround of components, there are upgrades, there is an understanding of problems that we have and how do we move the performance forward both on the PU side and also on the chassis side.”
After trips to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Australia, F1 returns to Europe for the next race at Imola, giving the team its first real opportunity since the start of the season to bring in and test significant new parts. But the same can be said of their competitors, and Mercedes’ top priority, according to Vowles, is to keep up with Ferrari and Red Bull and avoid falling further behind.
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“I suspect you will see an evolution of our competitors,” he said. “We need to make sure that we at the very minimum keep up with that. The work that takes place now is a review of what has happened in Melbourne. An understanding of what we need to do going forward into Imola, to progress the car into a championship winner,” he added.
