Mercedes F1 has confirmed that it will include “new developments” in W13 at the F1 French Grand Prix with the aim of continuing recent advances.
Affected by a major regulation change, the Mercedes F1 struggled with popping / bouncing and got off to a surprisingly fragile start to the 2022 season.
Still, despite the apparent lack of performance, Mercedes F1 won the podium seven times. All of them are in 3rd place, with Lewis Hamilton on the podium four times and George Russell three times on the podium.
However, Mercedes F1 gradually narrowed the gap between Red Bull and Ferrari, and Lewis Hamilton demonstrated the performance to challenge Ferrari at the F1 British GP.
Then, in the previous F1 Austrian Grand Prix, two cars crashed in the qualifying and went behind, but Lewis Hamilton finished in 3rd place and George Russell in 4th place in the final with a sprint in between.
The progress made by Mercedes F1, coupled with the characteristics of the Paul Ricard circuit, has given rise to the prediction that Mercedes F1 may be involved in the race for the French Grand Prix.
In particular, Mercedes F1 has confirmed further updates to W13.
Toto Wolff, the team’s representative for the Mercedes F1, said in a preview of the F1 French Grand Prix:
“Third and fourth place in Austria was a satisfying result for the whole team, especially given their position on Friday afternoon,” said Toto Wolff.
“The team did the miracle of preparing two complete race cars for the sprint and the Grand Prix. Sunday’s 27 points was a good reward for that effort.”
“We got three podiums in the first seven races and four podiums in the last four races. We are pleased with the momentum we are building and it reflects the team’s enormous efforts. It’s encouraging to see that our understanding of W13 grows with each lap and that’s reflected in our development and results. “
“Although it was fast in Austria, it wasn’t fast enough to challenge the front. We need to keep up with these last commas of a second and bring new developments to the car, including France this weekend.”
“Paul Ricard is a very different track and challenge. It has a smooth tarmac, a wide range of corner types and a long straight. The goal is to further close the gap with the front and hopefully return to the podium.”
Mercedes F1 also announced that Nick de Vries will replace Lewis Hamilton in FP1 to meet the young driver’s requirement to attend two free practice sessions this season at the French Grand Prix. ing.
Category: F1 / Mercedes / F1 French GP