“Is the Mercedes aero department missing a trick here?”: Former F1 champion questions Silver Arrows’ ‘doggedly’ approach

Former F1 World Champion Damon Hill has raised serious questions about Mercedes' aerodynamic department.

Mercedes were looking to be back in their groove after weeks of middling performances. The races in Austin and Mexico City offered encouraging outcomes for the Silver Arrows on multiple fronts, signaling that their recent upgrades harbored a positive change.

Thus, the confidence within their camp was high entering the Brazilian GP in Sao Paulo. It was the same venue where they had secured a 1-2 finish last season.

However, things came crashing down for the Brackley-based outfit at Interlagos. George Russell could not finish the race, and Lewis Hamilton ended up at a disappointing eighth spot, extending their winless streak.

With a forgettable season coming to an end for Mercedes, both fans and drivers have been focused on the upcoming W15 model of the engine for the next season.

However, former F1 world champion Damon Hill has his doubts about the German outfit's upgrading strategies. Speaking in the Sky Sports F1 podcast, he questioned the team's persistence with a specific aerodynamic concept, especially at a juncture where F1 is heading towards new regulations.

"It’s got the point where do they understand what they’ve done wrong? I think with the floor they made a good step forward," Hill stated.

However, the 63-year-old expressed concerns over the Silver Arrows and their history with powerful engines.

"My anxiety is this, which is that for a long time, Mercedes’ dominance really was down to their power unit,” he added.

Even when most teams on the grid followed Red Bull's pattern and shifted to using a very high rake, Mercedes persisted with their philosophy.

"Mercedes stuck persistently or doggedly with their [philosophy]… they looked like they were running a different aero concept on their car in the previous regulations, and then along come a new set of regulations. They looked like they were running a different aero concept on their car in the previous regulations, and then along come a new set of regulations," Hill said.

"Is the Mercedes aero department missing a trick here? They’ve lost quite a few good aero people to other teams as well, over time," he added.

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Damon Hill compares Mercedes' aero situation to Red Bull's

Drawing a comparison with Red Bull, Damon Hill talked about the two approaches teams adopt when faced with technical challenges.

“Now, talking about Red Bull. There are two ways to tackle these problems," Hill said.

“One is you spend... double the people working for the same amount of time and you’ll get there. Or you’re going to have the same amount of people that are working for double the amount of time, as at Red Bull," he added.

According to Hill, While Red Bull are directing their focus towards next year's car, the Silver Arrows grapple with resolving issues in their current one. This puts the former ahead in preparations for the upcoming season.

The former Jordan driver believes this scenario might result in Lewis Hamilton pressuring team principal Toto Wolff for reassurance.

"I think Lewis will be asking Toto every day, ‘Are you sure you’ve got this right?’ Because he was very forceful in it. ‘I don’t believe in this current concept’ when they came in with the new regs. So anyway, this is F1, that pressure is huge," Hill said.

As Mercedes continue to evaluate their performance and plans for the future, it remains to be seen what difference the W15 model makes for the team next season.