© Sam Bloxham for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Toto Wolff called the launch of Mercedes’ 2024 car “a complete relaunch of a car”, and now Technical Director James Allison explains the fundamental changes they have made.
After two difficult seasons, Mercedes decided to change their car completely for 2024. The team’s Technical Director James Allison explains the changes the team has made.
“A big focus has been on improving the previous car’s unpredictable rear axle, which the drivers often referred to as spiteful,” the Briton said.
“We have worked on that to try and create a car that is reassuring to the drivers. At the beginning of a corner when you’re hard on the brakes and turning in, the rear needs to feel rock solid.
“And then as you get towards the apex, the car needs to feel progressively more nimble, and eager, to turn. We have been trying to build that into the car.
“We’ve also worked hard to create a less draggy car, and to add performance in the corners.
“There’s also been some housekeeping on areas in which we had room for improvement, including the DRS effect, and pit stop performance.
“We were always very good at delivering a pit stop in a repeatable time, which is the key thing for a pit stop. The repeatable time that we could do our pit stops in was still three to four tenths slower than the best teams, though.
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“So hopefully we will have moved in the right direction there.”
Asked about the team’s approach to making those changes, Allison explained:
“Bigger layout changes are not freed up by no longer having the hassle of racing, you make those big layout changes prior to the summer.
“So, when we talk about a layout change, you’re generally talking about where the engine sits in the chassis, what geometry of rear suspension you’re going to have on the gearbox and what changes you are going to make to the part that contains the driver.
“Those are all three things that are hypothetically doable in the middle of a year but come at such huge opportunity cost that you would never contemplate it. But nevertheless, you need to commit to them in the preceding summer.
“The off-season is about proving to yourself on your internal rigs and simulators that those pieces are what you hope they might be; that it looks like it will deliver on your hopes,” he concluded.
