- Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 appears to be in bad shape right now.
- Following a myriad of problems during the 2024 season, former Mercedes F1 Technical Director Paddy Lowe said the team’s issues were due to “some wrong turns” in the W15’s design.
Mercedes F1’s woes are best illustrated in its dismal ranking in the sport. The team is currently held up at fourth place in the Constructors Standings, while its drivers are not even in the top six of the Drivers Standings. All these make its golden days from 2014 to 2020 seem like a distant memory nowadays.
Lowe stated that he has a lot of sympathy regarding the present state of Mercedes. However, there’s no one else to blame for their predicament than “some wrong turns” they made in their cars’ aerodynamic designs.
The former Mercedes Technical Director explained that the F1 teams have “incredibly sophisticated” tools, wind tunnels, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and other technologies. However, these do not ensure that their work is flawless.
The teams also risk making decisions during the car development process that may not work in real life. In most cases, recovering from these mistakes could be tough. Then, by the time the flaws have been remedied, other teams will already be far ahead in improving their cars.
For Lowe, Mercedes is a prime example of a team that has made a wrong call and is now trying to claw its way back into the competition. He warned that the team may not be back to its form yet and that it may get worse from here.
As a consolation, the former Mercedes official believes the 2026 regulation changes may allow his previous team to relive its past glory.
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