"It will not be transformative": Mercedes Imola upgrade will not change the team's fortunes claims F1 pundit

F1 pundit Mark Hughes has claimed he would be very surprised if Mercedes' upcoming sidepod upgrade at Imola has a large impact on their competitiveness. Hughes believes the planned upgrade will be limited by a change in sidepod philosophy, which the team has hinted at.

The Silver Arrows' 'zeropod' design philosophy has not served them well since its debut in 2022. The W13 and its successor, the W14, both lacked downforce compared to rival teams Red Bull and Ferrari. The team is set to change its design at the Emilia Romagna GP in Imola, but will reportedly not copy any other team.

Mark Hughes believes that while this change in sidepod design might somewhat help the team, it will not be 'transformative'. Hughes argued that Mercedes will have to start from scratch and it will take them a long time, without even considering the cost cap.

Speaking about Mercedes on Race F1's podcast, Mark Hughes said:

"You're starting from scratch. If you wanted to do it in the way that Red Bull and Aston Martin have. I would be surprised if that was even feasible to do it. A car of that concept - with the basis that they have got, the monocockpit. And the cooling arrangement."

"Whether they have got a good enough understanding to have understood that some of the deficit is coming from a specific part of this existing broad concept and just with a little tweak there's more time to be found. I can't believe it will be transformative, no."

"I think that Mercedes will wake up soon" - Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur

Fred Vasseur offered words of encouragement to Mercedes, stating that it is challenging to assess the team's situation based on one race alone. He is optimistic that the team will fare better in the upcoming races, with a particular focus on Jeddah, which he described as having a "different tarmac."

Mercedes had a challenging time during the first race weekend at the Bahrain International Circuit. The team struggled to keep up with the leading performers and were even outperformed by Aston Martin.

While many seem to have lost hope in the team, Fred Vasseur, Ferrari's team principal, is hopeful about their revival. He said (via Motorsport):

"It's race one and we don't have to do any conclusion. I think that Mercedes will wake up soon. We don't know what will happen next week."

Vasseur will have his eyes on the team at the Saudi Arabian GP to note any changes in performance:

"The next race will be a different story in Jeddah with a different tarmac. So let's see in Jeddah if we have a better picture."

With the Saudi Arabian GP set to start next weekend, it will be interesting to see how the Silver Arrows perform in Jeddah.