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Despite a poor start to the year, Mercedes will have optimism about the remainder of the season.
Perspective brings controversy in sport, and that is no different in Formula 1. In 2023, Mercedes fought off a late Ferrari challenge to finish second in the World Constructors’ Championship Standings. Despite this, the German team were left feeling slightly underwhelmed. Although no team was able to challenge Red Bull’s dominance over the course of 2023, both McLaren and Ferrari managed either a sprint or grand prix win respectively. This could not be said for Mercedes, who claimed pole position once and stood on the second step of the podium on only four occasions.
Fast forward eight months and it would be easy to think the team are in a much worse position. However, this is not entirely the case.
Getting off on the wrong foot
Coming into 2024, Mercedes had only one grand prix victory in the previous two years. Since the latest regulation changes in 2022, the team had struggled to continue their past domination. Instead, they watched on as Red Bull and Max Verstappen became the most formidable force that the sport had ever seen. A new season brought new hopes for the German team that they could return to fighting at the top once again. However, they endured their worst start to a season in 12 years.
After the first seven races Mercedes had scored a lowly 79 points, putting them fourth in the World Constructors’ Championship Standings and 189 points off pack leaders Red Bull. During this period, the best grand prix finish by either Lewis Hamilton or George Russell was the latter’s fifth place finish in Bahrain.
Alongside this, the Brackley-based outfit have struggled to perform in qualifying sessions for much of 2024. Whilst Russell claimed pole position at both Silverstone and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, there have been multiple occasions where the team have been hampered by disappointing qualifying results.
Without their early season slump and inconsistent Saturday performances, Mercedes could well have been in the championship fight this season.
Rectifying their wrongdoings
The first third of the season was a period to forget for the eight-time constructors’ champions. However, over the past six races the team have made outstanding progress, claiming 187 championship points, a total only bettered by McLaren during that time.
Russell claimed the team’s first victory since November 2022 in June’s Austrian Grand Prix, kick starting an impressive period for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows won three of the last four grand prix before the summer break, including Hamilton’s historic ninth triumph at the British Grand Prix. Although their qualifying pace has room for improvement, their performances on race day have been overly positive. Mercedes have boasted some of the most consistent race pace on the grid in 2024, recently getting the better of both Ferrari and McLaren despite starting in lower positions. Unlike much of the previous two seasons, Mercedes are now back in contention for race wins and will certainly be looking to add to their three thus far in the second half of the season.
A large reason for this is due to their consistent upgrades on the car. Starting with the new front wing equipped to Russell’s car in Monaco, Mercedes have introduced several new upgrades that have hugely improved the team’s performance. These constant developments have seen both drivers stand on the podium on several occasions and consistently competing for race wins.
Our trophy haul from the first half of the season ? pic.twitter.com/Y83Ps9FQwp
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) August 2, 2024
Ambitions for the remaining ten races
Despite sitting fourth in the Constructors’ Championship Standings, Mercedes will be full of optimism heading into the final 10 race weekends of the season. With their impressive recent progress, the German team have made up lost ground to their rivals in the championship standings. Without a doubt, their biggest aim will be to close the gap to both Ferrari and McLaren in that regard.
Considering the W15’s drastic turnaround, it is difficult to nit-pick possible improvements for Mercedes ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. However, apart from looking to maintain the winning spree going forward, the team will certainly be hoping for more consistent qualifying sessions after the summer break. Whilst the team have claimed their three victories whilst not starting on pole, better Saturday results will give them a greater chance of continuing their successful run.
As the season has developed, Mercedes have without a doubt been the largest gainers since Bahrain. The team may sit a lowly fourth in the standings, however there is much for the Silver Arrows to look forward to in the final ten races.
Feature Image Credit: (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)