Mercedes could be behind Ferrari and Red Bull again at the start of 2023 campaign

Mercedes could be behind Ferrari and Red Bull once again at the start of the 2023 F1 season. The team recently unveiled their 2023 challenger, the W14, which is set to hit the track in Sakhir.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton claims that he is not expecting to fight for victories right from the get-go, but is excited for the first aerodynamic updates to be fitted on the W14 in time to come. While it has not been confirmed that the team will lack in performance compared to Red Bull and Ferrari from the very start of the season, the Silver Arrows will have to wait and see if their rectifications from last year's W13 have worked to a satisfactory degree. Red Bull and Ferrari, on the other hand, had built competent cars right from the start of the 2022 season, giving them an inherent development advantage for the new season.

Speaking at the launch of the W14, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton said:

"Last year we had problems and we dealt with them, trying to understand what they were and how to solve them. We believe we have solved some of them, while others will still have to be worked on. I don't expect to be in the fight for victory in the first GPs of the season while I have more confidence for the aftermath, when the first updates on the W14 will arrive."

Mercedes have unlocked a gain in horsepower: Reports

Mercedes might have unlocked a 'double-digit' gain in horsepower for its 2023 F1 car as part of the reliability update. The 2022 F1 season saw the Mercedes power unit fall out of contention as Ferrari and Honda took over. On the reliability front, however, the team impressed everyone, having built the most reliable power unit of the season.

Teams can make improvements to their power units by applying reliability upgrades. These upgrades will improve the power unit's ability to deploy for longer and operate at higher power levels.

As reported by the formu1a.uno, the German team appears to have done just that. There is an expectation from the team that the power unit this season could see a double-digit jump in horsepower. Team principal Toto Wolff, however, has been cautiously optimistic about the same.

He said:

"If the performances are what we hope for, we could participate in the fight for the top of the standings, but it would be a starting point. But we don't take it for granted because the gaps that existed at the end of last season could also be confirmed."

It will be interesting to see if the eight-time constructors' champions can return to the forefront of the sport in the near future.