P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Russell: Mercedes’ 2024 F1 car won’t be as rushed as last year
Mercedes made a surprising decision to continue with their ‘zeropod’ sidepod design and overall car concept despite the poor performance of the W13 in 2023. They initially believed it could challenge Red Bull following George Russell’s win in the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. However, after discovering that the W14 was significantly slower in the Bahrain test and season opener, they quickly abandoned this approach. Mercedes introduced Red Bull’s downwash sidepod concept at the Monaco GP, making significant changes to the chassis, weight distribution, and airflow of the car. George Russell expressed confidence in the team’s new concept for the W15, noting that they have taken more time to thoroughly analyze and understand the consequences of their design choices. Despite the huge task of closing the gap with Red Bull’s dominant car, Russell believes they will not make the same mistakes as in the previous year.
