P1racenews AI automatic summary:
In 2022, the Mercedes challenger faced issues like porpoising and bouncing, while their W14 successor prompted complaints from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell regarding rear-end handling instability. As a result, Mercedes decided to change their concept for the 2024 season, completely abandoning the size-zero sidepod architecture for a more predictable and consistent platform. However, the new W15 has also shown temperamental behavior, leading Mercedes motorsport boss Wolff to believe that their wind tunnel findings do not match the car’s behavior on track. Wolff mentioned that they have addressed various weaknesses in their recent ground-effect creations, such as uncertainties with their suspension and gearbox carrier stiffness, although the fundamental issue remains the lack of correlation between tunnel data and on-track performance. Despite shared efforts to identify and rectify the problems, Mercedes is facing challenges in understanding the intricacies affecting their car’s performance, as highlighted by their struggles at the Australian Grand Prix and the performance gains seen by rival teams like McLaren and Ferrari.
