Mercedes is planning to make some upgrades to their cars ahead of the Miami Grand Prix. They are hoping that these upgrades would boost the team’s performance. So far, Mercedes has not been competitive. They are yet to win any race, and Hamilton is not sure he has a chance at fighting for the title yet.

Trackside engineering director, Andrew Shovlin, has said that the changes would help the team know if they are going in the right direction: “Hopefully soon, maybe as soon as Miami, we can start to bring some parts to the car that will hopefully give us an indication on whether we are moving in the right direction.” But he also emphasised that the changes would not take place overnight, saying that “we think this will be something we approach in steps rather than one big moment where the whole thing vanishes.”

This means Mercedes might deal with this problem for about half of the season while they continue to make upgrades and changes until they get the car running as it should. But Shovlin also noted that they were seeing “encouraging signs” and there were hoping to see some level of progress in the next GP.

Mercedes, which has won the last eight constructor’s championship titles, is currently third on the table, and there are no signs at the moment that things might improve. Hamilton continues to struggle with the W13 and has never failed to express his displeasure at how the car runs. Just last week, at the end of the Emilia-Romagna GP, he said that he no longer had a chance at fighting for the title due to the car’s performance. But he also noted that he had not lost hope in the team and would continue to give his best to see that they succeed.

Written by: Leon Osamor