A one-second deficit to pole position man Max Verstappen in qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix has exposed the major downforce deficit and balance struggles that Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been battling with all season.
With it clear that both men want big changes for next year, Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has explained that the squad is taking on board everything being said to make a leap forward for 2024.
“Lewis and George together are always giving us feedback on where the weakness is,” said Shovlin in Japan about the W14 car.
“And whilst they might be identifying different causes of it, we know that, fundamentally, the car doesn't have enough stability.
“We know that they don't have the confidence to just throw it into a high-speed corner, and not have some concern that the rear is going to slide more than they want and be a bit of a challenge.
“Whilst you might see different comments in the press, the two of them are very aligned on where the weaknesses are, and where we need to improve it. We can see the GPS from other cars and that all ties in. So, you can build a picture of where you need to develop.
“And we're certainly not clinging on to any concepts that we have had before. We're very open-minded. We've had a pretty chastening couple of years, and we are a team that's working very hard to try and get back to the front.”
Source: Autosport