Shovlin explains Mercedes' disappointing season start

Mercedes struggled to catch up with Red Bull Racing and Ferrari at the start of the season, but they are now getting closer and closer to the competition. Andrew Shovlin is hopeful for the second half of the season, although he knows the German team will have to work hard to win races.

The Mercedes chief acknowledged in conversation with Motorsport.com that the W13 had too little downforce at the start of the season. Moreover, it lagged behind the competition in terms of speed, which made it impossible for his team to be competitive enough.

Behind the scenes, therefore, the formation worked hard to improve the cars of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, giving both men the opportunity to compete for podiums just before the summer break. With a second and third place for Hamilton and Russell respectively, Mercedes finished the first half of the season well.

Shovlin feels that both drivers are gaining more and more confidence in their cars, which can only benefit their performance. At the same time he states that Mercedes still does not know how it was able to perform so well in Hungary, so there is work to be done for the team.

Mercedes wants to use concept for 2023

In preparation for the new season, Mercedes intends to use the concept of the car. Toto Wolff's team is confident that it can once again compete for the world title in 2023 if it can find sufficient speed.