Why Mercedes need to do “double the work” to beat Red Bull in 2024
Following the Japanese Grand Prix, Hamilton urged Mercedes to have a strong development phase in the next six months after Red Bull’s dominant performance. Despite steady progress in F1 2023, Mercedes has struggled to close the gap to Red Bull and faces the risk of being overtaken by McLaren. Speaking on the Sky F1 Podcast, Davidson acknowledged Hamilton’s frustration and highlighted Red Bull’s current advantage, comparing it to Mercedes’ advantage in previous seasons. He emphasized the need for Mercedes to work harder than ever to catch up with Red Bull and explained that Red Bull’s advantage also extends to next year’s car due to their development buffer. Davidson mentioned that while Mercedes will benefit from not having designed this year’s car from scratch, there are still issues to be sorted out, particularly with the sidepods, as the car was modified mid-season.
Source: Crash
