Mercedes could use ‘old new’ part at Australian GP to fix high-speed issues

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BBC F1 commentator Harry Benjamin has shared what he’s ‘heard’ about changes to the Mercedes ahead of the Australian GP.

Mercedes enter the race in fourth place in the constructors’ championship after making their worst start since 2012.

And speaking on The Chequered Flag podcast, Benjamin said this has prompted a significant alteration for the race in Melbourne.

Mercedes collected just 10 points in Saudi Arabia last time out, with George Russell finishing sixth and Lewis Hamilton ninth.

In qualifying, they had locked out the fourth row, with Red Bull, McLaren, the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc and the Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso all quicker.

The core of Mercedes’ problems seemed to be their performance through the high speed corners.

Data showed that they were slower than Alpine and Williams in those sections on race day.

Hamilton said it felt like driving in a ‘different category’ when he tried to keep up with his rivals.

There are also suggestions that Mercedes are encountering ‘limitations’ with the off-track simulation tool they’re using.

Harry Benjamin says Mercedes could use old floor at Australian GP

Benjamin maintains that Mercedes have made a step forward with the W15, but says their ‘main issue’ is clear.

In response, they could now revert to the floor they used during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

He said (46:00): “They have made a step up for sure since last year, but the main issue – and perhaps this is affecting Hamilton more so than Russell – is that they’re struggling for pace in high-speed corners.

“There’s even rumours about some possible simulator correlation problems, because what they’re seeing in the sim is not happening out on track.

“I have heard that this weekend they might be trying to bring in a possible an ‘old new’ floor – basically the floor they used in testing in Bahrain.

“They then made some changes for the first race. While they’ve brought some good side effects, they’ve also brought some negatives as well.”

Can Lewis Hamilton improve in Melbourne?

So far, it’s Russell who looks much more comfortable dealing with the limitations of the new machinery.

The 26-year-old has scored 18 of his team’s 26 points up to now and holds a two-nil lead in both the qualifying and race-day head-to-heads.

Hamilton is in his final year with the Silver Arrows before he joins Ferrari for 2025.

Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan says the seven-time world champion has looked ‘dejected’ so far this season.

Red Bull junior driver Liam Lawson believes he isn’t yet ‘100% confident’ in the car beneath him.

Jordan has warned that he ‘needs a result really badly’ in Melbourne this weekend.

Hamilton is the most successful driver in F1 history, with 103 wins and 104 pole positions.

But only two of those victories have come at Albert Park – the first in his 2008 championship season and the second in 2015.

He’s only converted two of the eight pole positions he’s scored at the circuit.

Last year, he finished second behind Verstappen after teammate Russell retired with an engine failure.