Speaking in a media session ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix on Sunday, Mercedes technical director James Allison was asked about the bouncing occuring with the W14.
While it’s nowhere near as frequent — or as dangerous as it was last year — Allison admits it can be very annoying for Hamilton and Russell.
“I think all the cars skirt with an amount of bouncing that would’ve been considered unacceptable in a previous generation but is a blessing compared to some of what we have experienced the year before.
“He’s [Hamilton’s] right that it comes and goes. It can be when you’re behind someone, when you’re passing someone, when the wind is blowing from a given direction. It just comes and goes, and it can be pretty annoying for the drivers when it does.”
The uncertainty of the problem, which varies based on the circuit and weather, does not allow for complete resolution of the issue. It needs to be worked around depending on the situation, but never totally eliminated.
A basic goal is to get rid of it completely for the future, according to Allison.
“It’s a thing we would like to completely vanquish rather then just substantially attenuate as we have done so far.”
He also wants the 2024 package to be more consistent for the drivers. Since the launch of the ground effect cars, the form of Mercedes has been quite erratic. The W13 and W14 have proven to be extremely inconsistent and unpredictable.
Allison explained how things can from one lap to the next can change in regards to lap times, even if Russell and Hamilton feel the laps they drove were very similar.
“Not just the bouncing, the car is a bit of a capricious all-round beast. The drivers can have a good lap out of it, feel like they’re doing exactly the same thing and then it’ll have a bad lap.”
The aim for 2024 is the unveiling of a near-perfect car to help with their 2025 machine as they’ll be close cousins, according to Allison. With the 2026 regulations looming ever nearer, getting next year’s car right is absolutely vital.
“It’ll be a different car, for one thing. I won’t be working with this one [the W14].
“He’s [Hamilton stating how critical the next six months are for Mercedes] correct in two senses. It’ll be a new season — it’s important that we get into the new season on the front foot.
“But more than averagely so because with 2026 paring down on us, the car that will need to be engineered in 2025 — it’s highly likely that the 2025 cars can be close cousin of the 2024 cars. So it’s doubly important to get the 2024 car good.
“It does sharpen your focus wanting to make sure that we have a car that gives us a good run into 2026, as well as good championships and the fun that brings.”
Photo credit: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team
