FORMULA ONE
Mercedes, for so long the F1 masters, in a real muddle after Miami
Toto Wolff calls for perspective on upgrades as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell chase Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in vain
Hamilton and Russell both missed out on the podium in Miami
MIKE SEGAR/REUTERS
Hundreds of sensors. Banks of computer screens. A small army of engineers, technicians, aerodynamicists and other specialists. And still Mercedes don’t have a clue what is going on with their car.
Given their resources and the infinitesimal level of detail that has gone into the design and construction of the Mercedes W14, it is a remarkable state of affairs that Lewis Hamilton’s team, for so long the masters of their F1 brief, cannot tell him why it is behaving so erratically.
The 2023 car’s woes were painfully evident in Miami. On paper, Hamilton’s sixth place and George Russell’s fourth was a pretty decent return, but the outcome masked all manner of woes over the preceding few days. The Mercedes of today may emerge from a
