Mercedes chief shares when the team will bring a ‘bigger package’ to upgrade the W15

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Mercedes has revealed when it plans to bring the next significant upgrade to the W15 as they attempt to catch up to rivals in the last seven races of the 2024 F1 season.

The team appeared to turn a page when they won three of the four races before the summer break, having experienced two years of difficulties with its car package.

Mercedes had a breakthrough earlier in the year with its updated front wing which enabled them to exploit the potential of its current package, but it encountered a setback with its last upgrade at the Belgian Grand Prix two months ago.

It opted not to run the latest floor specification at the Azerbaijan GP which appeared to cause them headaches as Lewis Hamilton struggled to progress from the pit lane, while George Russell also could not catch the leaders.

Both drivers suffered from rising surface temperatures on the sensitive Pirelli tyres, with Hamilton admitting that he had to drive his Mercedes in the ‘weirdest way’ to keep them down. Mercedes potentially faces the same problems this weekend in Singapore, which features similar characteristics to the Baku street circuit.

While there will not be an immediate upgrade to fix their problems, Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin has revealed that it plans to bring a ‘bigger package’ to one of the other seven final races of the season in their strategy debrief video.

Mercedes to bring ‘bigger package’ to US Grand Prix

Most teams tend to shift focus to the following year’s car towards the end of a season, but with the regulations staying stable it enables them to continue to add performance to their current specification.

Mercedes will initially bring a few small tweaks across the final races, but Shovlin says the team plans a bigger upgrade after the three-week break following the race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

“At the moment our main focus is on bringing a bigger package to Austin, then we get into the final six races of the year and there will be smaller things beyond that,” said Sholvin.

“But that’s certainly what we’re working towards is a bigger update to the car at the Austin race.”

George Russell demands talks over ‘infuriating’ Pirelli tyres

Despite inheriting a podium following a crash between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz on the penultimate lap, Russell was not happy with F1 tyre supplier Pirelli when speaking to media after the race.

Russell lashed out at Pirelli for how difficult it can be to drive on their tyres and claimed rivals are all saying the same, while also saying the Italian tyre maker does not understand the problem themselves.

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Since they came into F1 in 2011, Pirelli has been tasked with creating tyres that offer a specific performance window that drops off as a race goes on to create a ‘cliff edge’ effect.

This means they require a certain level of management throughout a race, which was on display at the front during the Azerbaijan GP when second-placed Charles Leclerc dropped below a second of race winner Oscar Piastri.