His feedback recommend that whereas the staff is planning to maneuver away from the “size-zero” design launched in Bahrain a 12 months in the past on the W13, it received’t essentially be following the development in the direction of the idea used so efficiently by Purple Bull final 12 months, and since copied by others.
Staff boss Toto Wolff flagged an in-season sidepod change at the launch of the W14 final month when the brand new automobile was revealed with the size-zero design nonetheless in place.
“I believe, for us, it is how we developed the automobile final 12 months,” stated Elliott when requested in regards to the choice to initially follow the W13 idea.
“I believe we have achieved lots of work different kinds of options. And we maintain coming again to this one as being the one which favours us. Is that the suitable long-term resolution? I assume we will discover out.
“Because it occurs, as Toto already stated, we have got completely different bodywork coming, it will not be the identical as different folks’s, and it will not be the identical as what we have got, however it’ll be completely different.”
Requested by Autosport in regards to the timing of the change Elliot wouldn’t elaborate.
“It is simply a part of the conventional growth,” he stated. “We have now received a unique sidepod that is coming in, however it takes time to carry, it takes time to make the bits, it takes time to vary the bits to go beneath the bodywork for it to suit. So we’ll carry it as quickly as we will.”
George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Elliott insisted that the staff is in a stronger place than final 12 months, regardless of an obvious deficit in efficiency to its primary rivals.
“If you happen to take a look at the place we have been final 12 months, we have been actually fighting bouncing,” he defined.
“I believe over the winter, we have got on prime of lots of the problems we had within the automobile, and we have come right here feeling like we have got a greater package deal to work with.
“I believe whenever you take a look at the three days of winter testing we have achieved, I do not suppose we really feel we truly received the very best out of the automobile but.
“I believe we had a reasonably poor day on day two, however we’re nonetheless studying. And I believe we discovered lots between the check and coming right here.”
Requested in regards to the suggestions from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, he stated: “We have in all probability not fairly received the stability window the place we would like it. The automobile just isn’t fairly the dealing with they need it to be but. In order that’s our job to go and repair that.”
