The Mercedes F1 Team endured arguably the most challenging first half of the season than any other team, after having to overcome a horrific porpoising problem.
It was a shock to all for Mercedes not to be in the fight for victory at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix; however, it was a taste of what was to come in 2022.
The Silver Arrows have struggled getting to grips with the new regulations, after designing a car that suffered from porpoising more than the rest.
This was evident at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Sir Lewis Hamilton suffered back pain to the extent where he struggled to get out of his W13 post-race.
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It’s taken them the entirety of the first half of the season to get on top of this; however, it appears they’ve finally solved their porpoising puzzle.
“Bouncing is no longer an issue at all,” said Mercedes’ head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin, as quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
Both Hamilton and George Russell have been considerably closer to the leader as of late, with Russell having claimed the team’s first pole position of the season at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Hamilton has finished on the podium at five consecutive races, whilst Russell has finished third at the last two.
The German team are rapidly closing down Scuderia Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship, with the battle for P2 heating up.
The only thing Mercedes are missing is a victory, something which they are coming closer to achieving.
Ex-F1 driver Jolyon Palmer believes it’s just a matter of time till Mercedes win, something he predicts will happen in the “next handful of races”.
“Thirteen races in and the trajectory of the team is the clearest of all on the grid they are undoubtedly edging their way towards a first victory of the season, which I predict they will have in the next handful of races,” he wrote.
“We head into the summer shutdown with Verstappen and Red Bull sailing away into the distance and Ferrari looking over their shoulders at Mercedes fast approaching, a feat you’d have struggled to believe after the way this season started.”
The Silver Arrows have continued to bring a number of upgrades to most races, in order to catch Ferrari and Red Bull Racing as soon as possible.
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Further upgrades appear to be imminent once the summer break is over, with Mercedes supposedly having a “few things up our sleeve”.
“We still have a few things up our sleeve, nothing spectacular, but things that will take us further,” said an anonymous Mercedes source, as quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.
“We’re no longer going in circles, but are now moving forward continuously. Also with the setup.”