Major chassis development for Mercedes in Austria

If the teams of Formula 1 are now used to making developments over time, it remains possible to see major upgrades arrive during a competition weekend like the one brought by Mercedes au Red Bull Ring. For the star brand, this is nothing less than the most complete improvement since the start of the season.

The chassis includes modifications to the sides of the car with reduced air inlets and set-back pontoons. The area of ​​the side deflectors (the famous “bargeboards” in English) has also been the subject of particular care. The mirrors benefit from a new support on the outside, while the rear wing panels have vertical openings.

« I hope this will help us make a difference this weekend, said Lewis Hamilton, who regained the lead of the Drivers' championship at Sebastian Vettel in France last week. I'm very impatient in any case. We hadn't really added any real new features to the car this season before this meeting..

This is the first real big upgrade. It’s a great feeling to go out on track and see that the developments bring you something straight away. I will try to see in free practice in which parts of the circuit the improvements are felt the most.

The development race is still very tight in F1. I know that the guys at the factory are working hard to make developments while prioritizing quality over quantity. I am convinced that this will help us scare our opponents ».

In a season where the nature of the races varies from one round to the next with very tight gaps between Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull, the slightest development could tip the scales.

« Everything is good to go so I can't wait to try the car, commented Valtteri Bottas. We must confirm that the new features bring the expected gains and work on the adjustments to get the best out of them. We hope to have taken another step forward this weekend but the track still has to prove it.

I would say the new engine gave us more than a tenth of a second. I hope this will also be the case with this revamped chassis ».

Evaluations begin this Friday at Spielberg with the first two free sessions, at 11:00 a.m. and 15:00 p.m. respectively.