2023 is a year of redemption for Mercedes, at least that’s what they’re targeting, after suffering a reality check in the first season of the new aerodynamic regulations.
2022 was a year to forget for the usually dominant Germans, after they slumped to third in the Constructors’ Championship, ending their eight-year streak of sitting pretty at the top.
Given how imperious Mercedes have been since the start of the turbo-hybrid era in 2014, many couldn’t believe their eyes when Lewis Hamilton finished P13 at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on merit, not as a result of an issue.
The W13 will forever go down as the team’s worst car of the hybrid era, with its predecessors having all gone down in history for being one of the best.
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Mercedes endured issues with their design philosophy and their power unit, which were unable to compete consistently with Honda’s or Ferrari’s.
The team’s revolutionary ‘zero-sidepod’ design was both a feat of engineering genius and a nightmare for the Germans, who’s sensational achievement ultimately created more issues.
For the bulk of 2022, Mercedes tried to solve their horrendous porpoising issue, which resulted in the team having to run the car higher to prevent serious injury to Hamilton or George Russell.
This combined with their slow straight-line speed, resulted in Mercedes having an uncompetitive package, which struggled at low-downforce circuits.
Once they solved their porpoising woes, the team did deliver some considerably better results, most notably at the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Russell claimed his maiden victory.
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The Germans had an incredible car when high-speed wasn’t a factor; however, as soon as it was at the likes of the Red Bull Ring or Monza, the Silver Arrows were nowhere to be seen.
According to RacingNews365.com, their 2023 power unit is set to be significantly stronger.
“Mercedes’ engineers responsible for the engine are convinced that the performance is in line with that of Honda and Ferrari. In collaboration with Petronas, a huge effort has been made to optimise combustion, also improving fuel consumption thanks to the new composition.”
Should this be true, then Mercedes could be in the mix for the win come the season opener in Bahrain, despite the speculation that the chassis will remain largely the same on the W14 as it was on the W13, with their remarkable sidepod design also set to be used once again in 2023.