Opinion: Mercedes will win a race this season

27th July 2022 0 By Kamron Kent

Mercedes look to be in good form, after their drivers secured their first double podium of the year last weekend – do they have a chance of securing a win this season?

The once-dominant Silver Arrows team have failed to score a single race win this season, their longest winless drought since the Hybrid era began. This is also the case for their seven-time world champion, Sir Lewis Hamilton who is currently undergoing his longest winless streak throughout his entire F1 career.

However, it is looking likely the Silver Arrows will – eventually – return to the top spot of the podium at some point this season.

At times, across the season, Hamilton has previously branded his Mercedes W13 as ‘undrivable’ as it hasn’t been able to deliver the results a seven-time world champion would expect. Porpoising issues, the aerodynamic phenomenon which caused the car to bounce rapidly due to the revised ground-effect cars, as well as other performance-related problems.

Recently, the team has seen significant improvements on their aerodynamics and – potentially – eliminated it altogether. Because of this, the team has been able to regenerate some performance back into their championship contender.

I believe there is a chance Mercedes will pull out a win at some point this season. However, this – in itself – spits out a handful of questions; Who, When and Where? and will they be able to secure a ninth championship?

Technical Directive

Potentially, a pivotal moment in the championship. The technical directive, which is being brought in from the FIA during F1’s Belgian Grand Prix, COULD see some changes in the pecking order. Which has – understandably – upset the Team Principles at Red Bull Racing and Ferrari.

The directive is set to tighten up a loophole in the technical regulations which are related to the mounting method of the plank.

The cars, this season, rely heavily on ground-effect and the downforce generated by the venturi tunnels, underneath the cars floor. Despite this, a couple of teams have been rumoured to have found ways of ‘cushioning’ the plank.

This ‘cushion’ allows teams to run lower and generate more downforce. In a bid to generalise the new method – to control how low cars can go to prevent porpoising, one, sole, interpretation of how teams can mount the plank is being introduced.

Because of this, it MAY allow Mercedes to return to the front of the order and fight for more race wins across the second half of the season. Especially as the sport enters a handful of power-suited tracks like Spa-Francorchamps and Monza after the summer break.

On the other hand, the new directive may have no affect on the pecking order – at all.

Hamilton to lead the way?

While there has been a lack of consistency from Hamilton this season, compared to what we would’ve normally seen. However, the seven-time world champion has been consistent across his career.

The Stevenage-born champion has never went a full season without securing a race win. This doesn’t look set to change but fate will need to be on his side.

Even in McLarens 2009 contender; the MP4-24, a car which Hamilton has publicly expressed was the worst car he’s driven, the former champion managed to secure two race wins, in Hungary and Singapore.

While Hamilton has seen a better luck of fortunes in his recent races as he finished on the podium four times in the last four races. You cannot count out his teammate George Russell. The younger Briton has consistantly finished in the top five, every time he took the chequered flag this season.

This ability will no doubt keep him in constant contention for a race win in the coming races.

With a higher position in the championship standings it would be interesting to see if Mercedes prioritise Russell over Hamilton, if they were battling in P1 and P2 for their only win of the season.

Verdict: Yes, I believe they can.

Looking at Mercedes’ improved performance where they are able to consistently fight for top five positions at every recent race, it does swing in their favour. Even if they score their only race win of the season.

France proved the Silver Arrows can get onto the podium, on their own merit, when faced with a battle between themselves and Red Bull. However, in a contradiction, Mercedes also benefitted from Ferrari’s engine penalties and crash.

Nevertheless, with the introduction of the technical directive, it may bring the like of Ferrari and Red Bull closer to Mercedes. In turn, this could open up the possibility for the Silver Arrows to secure one or more race wins until the end of the season.

Let’s just hope I haven’t jinxed the Silver Arrows’ hopes for a race win this season.

That’s it for the article: Will Mercedes win a race this season?! What do you think, will Mercedes (either Hamilton or Russell) secure a race win this season? Let us know in the comments!

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

CategoryFormula 1 Formula Series Opinion

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About the author

Kamron Kent

Opinion: Mercedes will win a race this season