Mercedes have not had anywhere near the start to the new era of Formula 1 that they would have wanted, winning only a single race as they struggled to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton would have hoped to have bounced back immediately from his heartbreak in Abu Dhabi last year, but the seven-time world champion has been forced to wait another year as he looks to avenge what he feels was a robbery by Max Verstappen.
The Silver Arrows struggled with porpoising issues in the early stages of the season, with the violent bouncing of the W13 causing a lot of pain for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.
Fixing these problems caused the team to lose even more ground in the development race, ultimately seeing the team finish third in the constructors’ championship behind Ferrari and Red Bull.
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Hamilton and Russell recently sat down together to discuss the season, and their discontent with the W13 was a prominent topic of conversation.
“Have you learned throughout the year like, [you] hated the car?” Russell was asked by Hamilton.
“There were definitely moments when you just hate the damn thing because it wouldn’t do what you wanted it to do and the bouncing around, you just got sick and tired.
“The one [photo] I remember is this one [Hamilton struggling to get out of the car in Baku]. I remember this the most just because of the pain that I was in. That weekend I went lower than you on the rear, ride hight, it was much worse on my car. Painful for both of us I think.”
Toto Wolff has said that the W13 will be placed in the reception of the team’s headquarters to remind staff of how difficult things can get, such is the negative view of Mercedes’ 2022 car.
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Russell replied to Hamilton’s opinions about the car, agreeing that the porpoising problem was one that he would not like to have to experience ever again.
“There was a time when I didn’t even remember what it was like to drive a car that didn’t bounce. I think the first race we did, it might have been Barcelona, we had no bouncing. I was like ‘What is this?’”
Mercedes have said that they are confident of delivering a better car in 2023 after learning from their mistakes, which will come as music to the ears of their drivers, who will both be looking to challenge for the championship next season.