James Shovlin, the Mercedes trackside engineering director, believes two key factors have contributed to the changing dynamics in recent races. Firstly, Mercedes’ W14 has shown a performance deficit, particularly in fast corners, where downforce plays a crucial role. This deficiency has affected their race performance as well as their qualifying results.
Secondly, Ferrari introduced an updated floor, which may have bolstered their performance. While the exact extent of Ferrari’s progress remains to be determined, the advantage that Mercedes previously enjoyed in terms of tyre degradation is not as apparent now in the season as it was earlier.
