Mercedes Reveals the Hidden Side of Its Upgrade: A More Difficult W17

Mercedes has revealed why its latest upgrade package hasn't delivered the expected results. The German team introduced an update in Malaysia to increase aerodynamic load, an objective it met, but it had an unexpected consequence: the W17 has lost the balance that characterized it and has become harder to drive. Simone Resta, Mercedes deputy technical director, explained on the team's podcast that the problem is not black or white: "We believe we have indeed generated more aerodynamic load, but perhaps we have not achieved the same level of increase in each and every one of the car's operating conditions. This has begun to slightly modify its balance in certain conditions," he noted.

The imbalance has shifted forward; the floor and sidepod modifications have made the front more effective, even more than the team expected. As a consequence, the car's operating margin has narrowed, and the drivers have had to adapt their driving style. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who has always tried to force the front to reduce the distance traveled at the apex, has found himself with a car that no longer responds in the same way: "There are still some aspects we must adjust, especially because we observe that the car presents a different balance than before. The front has become more effective, perhaps even more than we expected; consequently, the car's operating range must be readjusted, and that takes time," Resta added.

The problem has become especially apparent in braking and corner entry. The W17, long known for a solid rear, is now less stable in those phases. Antonelli has complained of understeer mid-corner, forcing him to increase steering angle or use the throttle to rotate the car; however, on circuits with abrasive asphalt and high temperatures like Malaysia, this increases rear-tire wear and compromises performance in slow corners.

To counteract the understeer, Mercedes opted in Singapore for the opposite direction to the one used in the first part of the weekend; differentiating the configurations between its drivers allowed them to collect valuable data and experiment. Bradley Lord, deputy team director, explained that in the Sprint, held in the wet, the car was too unbalanced towards the front, with a lot of oversteer: "As the front tires wore out, we recovered a much more satisfactory balance; from there Kimi had the pace of the leaders", he added.

The team now faces the rest of the week before Austin with the objective of analyzing the data and finding the right configuration for the new package: "We have to readjust the operating margin; we have to review some mechanical aspects of the car, trying to fine-tune the characteristics we are observing with this package," Resta concluded. Mercedes believes that once it understands the W17's behavior with the new pieces, it can extract its full potential and return to fighting for victory in the remaining races of the season.