With a Redesigned Car, Mercedes Hopes It Can Unseat Red Bull as F1 Champion

But as Mercedes made changes to its car design midseason to solve the porpoising, more problems emerged. One of the biggest issues was the balance of the car going through corners, making it hard for the drivers to have confidence when pushing to the limit.

George Russell, Hamilton’s teammate, said he wanted “more consistency and a more predictable car” from Mercedes this season. “If you could choose a balance that you would least like to have, the W13 probably had it,” Russell said of last year’s car.

Hamilton had asked the team to focus on improving every element of the car, “from the tip of the back to the tip of the front.” He said the W13 “didn’t behave like a racing car should,” prompting a push for changes going into the new season. This included revised bodywork around the rear of the car, as well as completely new front and rear suspension designs.

But Mercedes did not want to undo all its work with last year’s car. The team did make big improvements toward the end of the season, allowing it to finish first and second at the penultimate race in Brazil, defeating Red Bull and Ferrari.

Mike Elliott, the team’s technical director, said there was “a lot of goodness in the car” that he wanted to carry over to 2023, particularly its reliability and consistent performance over long stints in races. “If we tear it all up and we start again, you’re going to start further backwards,” he warned.

Although many of the technical changes made for this year’s car are hidden underneath the bodywork, there was one very visible difference: the paint scheme or, in many places, the lack of one.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/02/sports/autoracing/f1-mercedes-lewis-hamilton-championship.html