Although Mercedes are riding a wave of optimism heading into the Spanish GP, the team know better than to get carried away from one good weekend. The Silver Arrows are working to complement their on-track success with the right minds and ideas away from it. Toto Wolff has confirmed that steps are being taken to achieve this dual approach.
A little less than eighteen months ago, Mercedes made a bold decision: They replaced Mike Elliot with James Allison, who had taken a backseat from the team’s F1 operations in 2022.
The British engineer was tasked with turning around Mercedes’ failing development. Generally speaking, the Silver Arrows have accepted that returning to the front would be a difficult process. Last season was essentially written off as a transitional year for the team.
However, there are now signs of progress. The technical team at Brackley believe they have found the missing piece of the puzzle.
Not only are Mercedes more competitive, but there is now an element of certainty and confidence surrounding their updates.
Mercedes will hire top-level personnel
Team principal Toto Wolff explains that, behind the scenes, work is still ongoing to strengthen the team:
“I think definitely, since Imola, we have taken the right steps and put parts on the car that were working,” PlanetF1 quotes him as saying.
“That is something that we were struggling [with] in the past couple of years. And now, directionally, we seem to be adding performance every weekend.
“And with new staff coming, also new parts coming in Barcelona, that should help us. So I would very much hope that we can continue this positive trajectory.”
The races leading up to the summer break will be critical for Mercedes. In roughly two months, the team will know whether their speed in Canada was the beginning of a broader trend.
Regardless of how their trajectory in 2024, Mercedes knows the importance of strengthening their engineering team. During the height of their dominance, they suffered something of a ‘brain drain’ as rivals signed many of their senior personnel.
Red Bull is currently trying to prevent something similar from happening to them. From Christian Horner’s perspective, Adrian Newey’s exit cannot become a catalyst for other departures.
In any case, returning to Mercedes, there is now optimism for the remainder of 2024 – in addition to the quiet confidence surrounding the engine designers in Brixworth in 2026.
