Credits: IMAGO / HochZwei
Mercedes had a disastrous outing at the 2024 Australian GP. First, Lewis Hamilton retired from the race after his power unit just gave up. Meanwhile, George Russell, on the penultimate lap of the Grand Prix, however, whilst chasing Fernando Alonso for P6, lost control of his W15 into turn 7 and had a meeting with the barriers. In the end, the team came away from Melbourne pointless with a double DNF. In the aftermath of a horrible weekend for the team, Mercedes’ social media admin took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a ‘self-burn’ as they posted a picture with an updated logo of the Silver Arrows.
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However, in the comments section of the screengrab, Toto Wolff seemingly commented, “a smile might be good” to which the Admin replied, “Nothing to smile about in my smile.” The replies on X suggest that the Admin had struck a chord with the fans as the post echoed their own sentiments and feelings after the weekend’s results.
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The W15 is the third iteration of the all-new ground effect cars that the sport introduced from the 2022 season onwards. And from the very get-go, the Brackley team have struggled for pace, balance, and results. Mercedes hoped that this year, with all the lessons learned from the previous years, they would’ve closed the gap with their rivals ahead. But the early results, from the first three races of the season, have proved otherwise.
Despite these setbacks, team principal, Wolff has cited the example of McLaren, who last year this time were bottom of the pack. But currently, they are in terms of out-and-out pace one of the fastest cars on the grid. The Austrian hopes that his team, too, can pull out a magic upgrade out of the bag to get them fighting once again for wins and championships.
Can Mercedes turn their fortunes around like McLaren in 2024?
After three races, the 2024 season has been the worst start that Mercedes have had in the latest era of the sport that kickstarted in 2022. Currently, they sit 4th in the Constructors’ championship with only 26 points to their name.
Despite their double DNF in Melbourne, the W15 has not been able to compete with the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, and Red Bull on pace and their championship standing is unfortunately a true reflection of their troubles.
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But the team have bigger problems to deal with. They have got their basic foundations wrong with the current rules. As a result, the car, no matter what they try to do, is always unpredictable and a mess to handle for the drivers. Both, Russell and Hamilton have made their feelings known as the seven-time champion has also claimed that he has no confidence behind the wheel of the W15.
The sport will introduce its engine-specific rule change in 2026. The last time F1 embarked on an engine-related regulation change [in 2014], the Silver Arrows dominated. With 2026 just two more seasons away, that might be the best bet for the 8-time champions to return to their glory days once again.
