Monza Showdown: Mercedes Set to Unleash New Floor Design in Crucial F1 Test

Mercedes is set to conduct another test of its floor upgrade at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix, comparing it side-by-side with an older version during the first practice session. The team has been grappling with this upgrade since its introduction at Spa, struggling to fully understand its impact on the car's performance.

The Struggle with the Floor Upgrade

The Silver Arrows initially unveiled this latest floor development just before the summer break at the Belgian Grand Prix. However, they opted not to race with it at Spa due to confusing results regarding drag levels. At the Dutch Grand Prix last week, Mercedes decided to use the upgrade on both W15 cars after a similar comparison in the opening practice at Zandvoort.

Despite this, the team's technical director, James Allison, admitted that they were still uncertain about the new floor's true performance. This uncertainty, coupled with Mercedes' unexpected struggles at Zandvoort after their victory at Spa, has led the team to conduct further evaluations of both the new and older floors during Friday's FP1 session at Monza.

A Debut and a Revelation

Adding to the intrigue of this practice session is the Formula 1 weekend debut of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will be driving George Russell's car. Meanwhile, Russell himself has revealed some insights into Mercedes' recent performance issues.

According to Russell, the team has identified that one of the changes made to the car for the Dutch Grand Prix was not in the optimal direction for performance. This realization came only after post-race analysis, highlighting the complexities of real-time decision-making in Formula 1.

The Bigger Picture

Russell emphasized that the Monza Grand Prix presents another valuable opportunity to test the Spa floor upgrade. He insisted that the floor alone was not responsible for Mercedes' dip in performance compared to rivals McLaren and Red Bull at Zandvoort.

The driver pointed out that upgrades typically yield only small improvements, usually in the range of one or two tenths of a second. He explained that performance can fluctuate by much larger margins from race to race, even with the same package. This variability makes it challenging to isolate the impact of specific upgrades.

Despite the ongoing questions, Russell expressed confidence that the floor upgrade is working as expected. He believes that the issues faced in Zandvoort were not directly related to the upgrade. However, he remains open to potential new conclusions after the Monza weekend, underscoring the team's commitment to continuous evaluation and improvement.