Allison: “I see no reason why Mercedes can’t catch Red Bull this year”

With nine wins in as many Formula 1 races this year, Red Bull remains unbeaten in 2023, but Mercedes Technical Director James Allison believes the continued upgrades will make the W14 quite competitive with the RB19 this season as well could.

The first major upgrade package of this year for the Mercedes W14 was presented in Monaco: it included a radically redesigned floor, side air vents and suspension. Further improvements to the car followed at the Spanish Grand Prix, helping Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to two podiums

However, in Austria the W14 was once again unstable, difficult to set up and uncompetitive – but the Brackley team are hoping to bounce back over these three days at Silverstone with a new upgrade package including a redesigned front wing.

Andrew Sovlin, Head of Mercedes F1 Racing Engineering confirmed: “We have a new front wing that helps us climb a bit higher at the start and I also think the track will suit our car a little better than Austria’s.”

Despite Spielberg’s ‘hikes’ last weekend, team technical director James Allison believes the W14’s improvements over the last four races have ameliorated the car’s underlying problems.

As he explains, they have increased lift production and made the vehicle much more stable under braking, reducing the risk of front wheel lock-up. Nevertheless, the problem of rear instability of the W14 remains, admits the Briton.

However, these advances make Allison particularly optimistic about Mercedes’ ascent to Red Bull’s level of performance: “I still say to the team internally: why can’t something like this happen this year? “As long as we continue to develop our car, there is no reason not to think about it.”

On the other hand, of course, Red Bull could soon halt development of this year’s car altogether if there is no serious reason for a sequel to sacrifice its entire infrastructure – based on last year’s budget overrun penalty – to the 2024 car.