Mercedes admits the W13 was 'bordering on dangerous' in multiple races in 2022

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin recently spoke about the difficult times they had in the 2022 season, revealing that the W13 was the toughest to drive, especially in races like Baku, Montreal, and Imola. Shovlin, however, believes that while this tested the entire crew in building a better car, it also helped them focus on the issues the W13 was facing.

Autosport quoted him as saying:

“There were some difficult points where we know that the car that we gave them in Baku, in Montreal, in Imola, and all those races – it was bordering on dangerous. And that certainly focuses your attention to make sure that we dig ourselves out of that position and start giving them something that they can race in again.”

While the 2022 F1 season will go down in history as one of the most challenging seasons for the Mercedes crew, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku will take a particular hold of that. Not only was it difficult for drivers to battle other cars on the streets with that car, but they also suffered significant physical discomfort due to car issues.

The W13's porpoising issue made it jump violently up and down on straights. With Baku featuring one of the fastest and longest straights on the calendar, Lewis Hamilton was heard complaining multiple times during the race that it was hurting him to drive the car. Right after the race, he even had difficulty getting out of the car as a result of all the back pain he had to endure.

While the cars pulled themselves to P4 and P3, with George Russell taking the podium position, it was only possible because both the Ferraris were out of the race, and no one else on the grid could compete with Mercedes.

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Mercedes hopeful for 2023 as Andrew Shovlin believes the worst is over

Andrew Shovlin believes that the 2022 F1 season was the worst the team had to face. He is, however, confident that the team has moved on from it and will return in the 2023 season as championship contenders. He also stated that Lewis Hamilton's experience was essential in facing a challenging year like 2022, saying:

“The whole team has been through a lot with Lewis, and it’s great that we have such an experienced driver when we’ve had such a challenging year.”

“Hopefully, we’re now through the worst of that challenge and we can get on with the next challenge, which is hopefully fighting our way back to the front and fighting for championships.”

Hamilton, too, earlier expressed his confidence about Mercedes' return in the upcoming season. He also believes that there will be not two but three teams fighting each other for the championship: Ferrari, Red Bull, and Mercedes themselves. He also believes that if McLaren can develop well, it could become a four-way battle.