P1racenews AI automatic summary:
James Allison sent an email to the Mercedes factory in the aftermath of the F1 Sao Paulo Grand Prix explaining his surprise at their terrible performance.
Mercedes’ team principal, Toto Wolff, described the race in Brazil as their worst weekend in 13 years. Despite their victory in Brazil last year, their performance this year caught them off guard. Technical director James Allison admitted to feeling shocked and wrote an email to the factory expressing his disappointment. They had expected to at least challenge for a podium finish, but their own overconfidence may have played a role in their uncompetitive weekend. Lewis Hamilton finished eighth and George Russell retired in 11th, while their customer teams, Aston Martin and McLaren, outperformed them once again. The main issues they faced were overheating rear tires, significant tire degradation, and an annoying amount of understeer. They struggled to find a balance that allowed their car to perform at its best, which was particularly frustrating as they usually excel in this area. Allison emphasized that they need to land the car in a place where it can be as happy as possible, and they clearly didn’t achieve this in Brazil. He acknowledged that sprint weekends like this put pressure on getting it right in a single go, and they didn’t succeed in doing so. Despite their disappointing performance, Mercedes is already planning for their 2024 F1 car, with Allison leading the development in an effort to regain competitiveness against Red Bull.
Forrás: Crash
