Mercedes questioned how they could make a 'third bad car in a row'
F1 News
Mercedes enjoyed a long-period of domination in F1 before Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen came along and ended it all. Since 2022, the Silver Arrows have struggled to produce a competitive car, which led Lewis Hamilton to wait 945 days before his next race win. Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, chief engineer Andrew Shovlin admitted how difficult it has been for the seven-time world champion.
Lewis Hamilton won his last Driver's championship in 2020. Although the team were able to win the Constructors the season after, the Mercedes driver lost out on his eighth world title to Max Verstappen. Since then, Hamilton failed to win races until this year's British Grand Prix. For the team, this season is also the first time since 2022 they have won a race. The seven-time world champion has shared how difficult it has been since 2021, with Shovlin admitting the team needed to address their issues. "When we launched our third bad car in a row, we're all wondering why have we made that mistake and how have we done that again? So it does have you questioning what you're doing," he said.
Where did it go wrong for Mercedes?
After the 2021 season, Mercedes failed to get their car right. The drivers frequently complained of bouncing issues, and the team has not won the Constructors since. This season, they sit 74 points behind McLaren who are third, with George Russell and Hamilton sitting seventh and eighth in the Driver's standings. For the most successful driver in Formula 1 history, it has been tough, Shovlin said: "I think the fact that we haven't had a competitive car made it difficult for Lewis because he is a driver who is just born to win races. And it's been a tough few years for him having had so many difficult results."
Nevertheless, this season Mercedes have won two consecutive races in both Austria and Britain. Team boss Toto Wolff has also shared that the team will continue to introduce upgrades, as they hope to work their way back to the top. For Shovlin, the team had failed to deliver both of its drivers a competitive car, hence the lack of wins until now: "It's not like he's [Hamilton] had all bad races because he's got George who's an incredibly fast driver and a very difficult person to beat. And Lewis has had his fair share of races where he's been ahead of George. It's just that we weren't able to win because we didn't have the car to win," he concluded.