F1 technical analyst Craig Scarborough has downplayed suggestions that Mercedes should simply “copy” Aston Martin’s ultra-competitive AMR23, after an abysmal Bahrain Grand Prix for the Silver Arrows.
The Germans had to settle for fifth and seventh at the Bahrain International Circuit, with the side having looked uncompetitive all weekend.
Mercedes’ customer team Aston Martin on the other hand, looked sensational, with Fernando Alonso having been the only driver capable of pressuring the Red Bull drivers all weekend.
Lewis Hamilton was incredibly critical of the Silver Arrows after the race, where he vented his frustration at the Germans for opting to not “listen” to his feedback.
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“Last year, there were things I told them. I said the issues that are with the car. I’ve driven so many cars in my life,” Hamilton told the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast.
“I know what a car needs. I know what a car doesn’t need. I think it’s really about accountability. It’s about owning up and saying, ‘Yeah, you know what? We didn’t listen to you. It’s not where it needs to be and we’ve got to work’.
“We’ve got to look into the balance through the corners, look at all the weak points and just huddle up as a team. That’s what we do.
“We’re still [multiple] world champions, you know? Just haven’t got it right this time. Didn’t get it right last year. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get it right moving forwards.”
Mercedes are on the verge of a complete crisis, with the Silver Arrows potentially facing a repeat of 2022.
The team have even sent a message out to their fans urging for their support, with several having suggested that Mercedes just quickly copy Aston Martin, given that the Silverstone-based team used the same power unit, gearbox and rear suspension.
“I think the answer to that is no, I don’t think there is,” Scarborough told F1 journalist Peter Windsor.
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“People will point at the side pods and the gulleys as maybe the secret to that car’s performance, which is really kind of ignoring everything that’s going on underneath the car and the way they’ve got the suspension set up.
“So no, there isn’t anything anyone else can really copy quickly to find some performance. In talking about this online, so many people are now saying, ‘well, Mercedes just need to copy Aston Martin, because it’s got the same engine, the same gearbox, the same rear suspension, and aspects of the hubs of the brakes are similar.
“Why don’t they make a car that looks like that?’ With these things it’s never quite that easy and, equally, I don’t think that’s the way that Mercedes will go about engineering the car.”