P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes era of domination came to an end in 2022, with the start of the brand-new ground-effect technical regulations.
Mercedes acknowledges that it failed to adapt effectively to F1’s ground effect regulations, leading to a disappointing performance in the 2022 season, where they finished third with only one race win.
Their radical W13 design, featuring the ‘zero-pod’ concept, ultimately proved unsuccessful, prompting a switch to a more conventional car mid-season in 2023 at the Monaco GP.
Despite the setbacks, Mercedes is poised to secure second place in the 2025 constructors’ championship and has learned valuable lessons from their mistakes, which have made them better engineers.
The team’s trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, highlighted the challenges faced during the rules cycle but expressed optimism for the future, aiming to return Mercedes to the top spot in F1.
Overall, Mercedes has found the regulations competitive, leading to closer racing and a renewed focus on regaining their dominant position in the sport.
