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After experiencing a tough start to their 2023 F1 campaign, Mercedes has brought in six new upgrades in its W14 challenger car for the Monaco GP. In the first six races of the current Formula One season, the German manufacturer has scored only 96 points to be placed in fourth spot in the Constructors Championships.
The Mercedes no. 1 driver and seven-time World champion Lewis Hamilton has managed to accumulate 56 points, while his fellow British teammate, George Russell has gotten 40 points. While the 2023 F1 season has been moving at a swift pace on track, Mercedes worked tirelessly behind the scenes at their Brackley factory to upgrade their car.
In the lead-up to Monaco GP, Mercedes notified FIA about the technical changes made to their car with explanation, as per F1’s regulations, to get them approved for the race. The six new upgrades to the W14 challenger are expected to enhance its performance drastically.
According to reports, the change in the front suspension is expected to improve the cooling performance of the Mercedes. The new floor fences should deliver more rear downforce to the W14 challenger. The visual changes to the sidepods and bodywork might give improved flow to the rear wing assembly and rear corner of the car.
Furthermore, the improvements to the rear wing and rear brake duct can increase rear floor load and lower suspension legs of the Mercedes improved flow to the rear corner.
Lewis Hamilton praised the Mercedes team for their hard work behind the scenes on the W14 challenger and said, “There’s a lot of people on the team that have had all the success that we’ve had in the past and there’s a lot of people that haven’t had that success yet and are super hungry.”
“I’m really encouraged when I do go back to the factory and see just how hard everyone is working. Last year we were a little bit lost in terms of how to fix the issue that we had,” added the Briton.