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Despite the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which was to be held this weekend, Mercedes will not be delaying the upgrades to their W14 and will introduce them at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The team had planned to introduce major upgrades to their aero package at the Imola GP after their disappointing start to the 2023 season. However, because of the extreme weather conditions in the region, the Imola GP has been cancelled.
The Silver Arrows are currently third in the constructors' standings, 128 points behind leaders Red Bull and six points behind second-placed Aston Martin.
F1's next event will now be in Monaco, next weekend. The Circuit de Monaco is quite different from Imola, and many teams will be thinking about delaying the upgrades they had planned for Imola.
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Mercedes, however, have decided to stick with the plan because more upgrades are to be introduced later in the season. Race Fans quoted Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin, as he talked about the drivability of the W14 and upgrades:
"We are hoping to bring other updates later in the year. We do hope it is quicker, we hope it is better in terms of qualifying and race pace."
"We are looking to head off in a different development direction, one that we think gives us a better chance in the long term of being able to challenge for race wins and world championships."
What upgrades are Mercedes expected to bring in?
After the first race of the season in Bahrain, team principal Toto Wolff mentioned that there could be a change in the car's design philosophy, possibly hinting at a modification in their sidepod strategy.
Mercedes' 'zeropod' design philosophy has been criticised for their poor performance since the 2022 season.
At the same time, more changes are expected in the floor and suspension of the car, which would relate to its drivability and performance. It is difficult to judge a car's aerodynamic performance on the Monaco circuit, which is why some teams have considered delaying their upgrades.
It will be interesting to see how the upgraded W14 fares in the Monaco GP as the Silver Arrows attempt to catch up to Aston Martin and Red Bull.
