Mercedes: US GP floor upgrade a heads up on 2024

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Mercedes technical director James Allison says the revised floor that the team will introduce in Austin next week will likely tell the Brackley squad if it is on the right track for 2024.

Although Mercedes has struggled less this season compared to 2022, F1’s first campaign under its new ground effect regulations, the team was still no match for Red Bull which has walked away with the championship for the second year in succession.

Mercedes is currently second in F1’s Constructors’ standings, 28 points ahead of Ferrari, and the German outfit is determined to hold on to its runner-up spot in the championship.

It therefore continues to implement updates on its W14 contender, but many of the modifications are also about clearing the team’s path towards a return to the front of the field in 2024.

Read also: Mercedes F1 team enjoyed £113m operating profit in 2022

As such, Mercedes’ upcoming new floor will hopefully provide the team with a heads up on its development for next season.

“Hopefully it will give us a bit of lap time,” Allison said, quoted by RaceFans. “That’s always a benefit.

“But it is mostly a useful thing because it’s a bellwether for whether we’re on the right track. In lap time terms, it will be small. Useful, but don’t expect us to have leapt past Max [Verstappen].”

©Mercedes

Allison says that Mercedes has developed a good understanding of its W14, and especially of its weaknesses.

It therefore has clarity on where it should focus its efforts for next year, although only Allison admits that “time will tell” if the fixes embedded in its future design deliver the expected results.

“I think that much of what ails us now is reasonably well-understood and we’re working to fix that,” said Allison.

“I feel like all of us got a pretty clear-sighted view of what we want to do with the car.

“This championship, while we haven’t made the really impressive progress that McLaren have, we have nevertheless been charting a path through the season that gives us a very clear idea of what we need to put right.

“So that makes the next years fun, very exciting to look forward to, and actually this period of the year extremely enjoyable.”

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.