For a team that won 8 constructors’ championships back to back, Mercedes is in a bit of a slump. Having missed the mark with the new ground effect cars in the 2022 regulation change, Mercedes has struggled to understand the underlying problem with their 2022 and 2023 challenger. On the other hand, their customer teams, Aston Martin and McLaren have made significant strides in 2023. F1 expert Peter Windsor recently spoke about the repercussions for Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton if the Brackley-based squad fails to climb back to the top and has yet another disappointing season in 2024.
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Lewis Hamilton, who signed a new contract extension until the end of 2025 in a bid to achieve his record-breaking 8th championship openly criticized the team mid-season in 2023 for not heeding his concerns about the car’s design philosophy. He also voiced his concerns to the FIA about the potential impact on F1’s popularity and viewership if Red Bull and Max Verstappen keep dominating till the new 2026 regulations kick in. One of the biggest questions now is how long will the 7-time world champion be willing to stick around in F1 if Mercedes fails to deliver.
Windsor sees Lando Norris as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes
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Mercedes brought back James Allison as the team’s Technical Director in a desperate attempt to beat Red Bull in 2024. Whether or not the team will show progress in 2024 is anybody’s guess at this point. However, the team remains confident that they can turn things around. Lewis Hamilton said that the team has found the north-star it has been missing since 2022.
In a recent Live Chat on his YouTube channel, the former Ferrari boss spoke about the impact of Mercedes failing to deliver in 2024. While he dismissed the possibility of Toto Wolff quitting his role as the team principal, Windsor said that Hamilton could call it quits at the end of his current contract. “Lewis will probably leave if it’s another terrible year I would guess. Probably just say enough is enough,” said Peter.
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“I can’t imagine he’ll think, Oh wait till 26 now and get into a half electric Formula 1 car. I can’t imagine that’s attractive to Lewis Hamilton. So yeah, that could be a repercussion. You’re going to see you know, somebody in there… Lando Norris or somebody like that at Mercedes, which would be interesting. So yeah those will be the repercussions. I don’t think they’ll pull out, but it’s an interesting moment though isn’t it?” he added.
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Time is running out for Lewis Hamilton to secure his 8th world championship. With 2025 possibly being Hamilton’s last season in Formula 1, he knows what’s at stake. And he isn’t leaving any stone unturned in order to help his team climb back to the top.
Hamilton is visiting the factory much more often to help improve the 2024 car
Failing to improve in 2024 will be really bad for Mercedes. If they can’t catch up with Red Bull this season, their chances in 2025 look even worse. With the next big regulation change due in 2026, teams need to get their cars ready in advance to avoid starting at a disadvantage.
The team is shifting away from its zero-pod design philosophy for 2024, something Lewis Hamilton had told the team to do with the W14. This time, Hamilton is working closely with the team back at Brackley. “I’m in the factory much more often now, having meetings with all the department heads to try and motivate and encourage them all,” Hamilton told motorsport-total.com at the end of the 2023 season.
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Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he is spending more time at the Mercedes factory, working with his engineers on the W15:
“I’m in the factory much more often now, having meetings with all the department heads to try and motivate and encourage them all.”
“I talk to them, show… pic.twitter.com/dvcaa7wSdn
— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) January 1, 2024
“As you can imagine, everyone is disappointed and demoralized after this season. So I talk to them, show them where we need to improve and what direction we need to go in. I just try to help them be positive and to say we can do it. I also looked closely at the other vehicles and asked a lot of questions, just to stimulate ideas,” he added.
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