F1 pundit expresses 'concern' on Mercedes upgrades ahead of the Monaco GP

Heading into the Monaco GP, Mercedes have been in the headlines as they finally unveiled their much-talked-about upgrades. The revised W14 looks strikingly different from its predecessor and Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle isn't a fan of the new design.

The upgrades introduced for the W14 in the Monaco GP include a shift from the zero-side pod concept to the traditional design opted for by other teams. Former F1 driver Martin Brundle finds the updated version less appealing.

Famous for his honest and blunt opinions, he said ahead of the Monaco GP:

"My concern is that it’s a complete concept that a car is built around, and that’s not going to win too many beauty parades is it that car? And it’s got a touch of sort of Frankenstein about it."

The 63-year-old then quoted former F1 team owner Ken Tyrrell saying:

"But as the great Ken Tyrrell used to say, if they crossed the line first, they all look beautiful. I’m sorry, but it just looks like, I kind of imagined Toto [Wolff, Mercedes principal] and Lewis [Hamilton] saying, ‘right, if we keep doing the same thing, we’ll get the same result, do something, put something else on it’."

The highly anticipated upgrades were to be introduced in Imola. But the cancelation of the race due to tragic flooding in the area forced Mercedes to debut their overhauled W14 in Monaco. The change in the side pod design is complimented by a completely new front suspension and other modified parts.

Brundle also explained the reason why the Brackley-based outfit decided to overhaul their car design, saying:

"But I think what the team is saying in all seriousness is that this will enable us to have a new reference point and move forward from there, instead of being halfway up a ladder that appears to be going nowhere, as we saw in 2022 and so far in 2023."

He added:

"Let’s build another ladder that might enable us to climb higher is the analogy that’s been used, and let’s see how it performs, it might be magical."

While Mercedes don't expect a huge gain in performance, the upgrades are meant to provide a new baseline that has a higher potential.

---

Lewis Hamilton gives initial verdict on the upgraded Mercedes W14

Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes W14

Lewis Hamilton had an impressive outing on Friday, May 25. He hauled the upgraded Mercedes W14 to a third fastest time in FP1 followed by sixth in the timings in the FP2 session. On the other hand, his teammate George Russell struggled with the set up spending majority of his time in the garage.

Hamilton gave his initial verdict on the upgrades saying:

"I have generally had an amazing day, I really enjoyed driving. I am glad we were able to keep it on track for them and I think we got a lot of data."

He added:

"It is not the place to test an upgrade but the car was generally feeling good. It was a shame we were not as close as we had hoped but definitely felt the improvements and I am grateful for them."

The seven-time world champion is hoping to extract more speed from the car in the following sessions.