Mercedes making significant investment in one of the team's major weaknesses of the last few years: Reports

Mercedes is reportedly investing massively in its pitstop gear in order to improve its performance in 2024. During the winter break, teams put in a lot of effort to improve in the following season, and the Silver Arrows are no different.

As per chief editor of Motorsport, Kemal Şengül, the team is working hard on its 'pit stop equipment' for 2024.

This is what he tweeted on Monday (January 15):

"Mercedes seems to have made a significant investment in pit stop equipment before the 2024 season. After the problems in recent years, they have focused a lot on pit stops. Therefore, it is very possible that we will see a much better Mercedes than before at pit stops in the new season."

Since every single milisecond counts in the world of F1, pitstops have gotten extremely quick over the years. Despite the sport introducing heavier 18-inch-rimmed tires, teams are still able to pull off under 2-second pitstops. However, Lewis Hamilton's team is nowhere near the top when it comes to changing tires quickly.

In the past two years, the eight-time world champions' pitstops have drastically plummeted in average times. According to DHL's F1 pit stop standings, the Brackley-based team was eighth in 2022 and seventh in 2023. This shows how slow their pitstops have been in recent history. Furthermore, they have not won the DHL fastest pitstop award since 2017.

The fastest Mercedes pitstop in 2023 was in the Mexican GP, which was 2.59 seconds. In comparison, McLaren's fastest pitstop in 2023 was in Qatar GP, which was 1.80 seconds.

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Toto Wolff eager to help Lewis Hamilton beat Red Bull

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is determined to continue his journey in the team, stand alongside Lewis Hamilton, and beat Red Bull no matter what. He has claimed that the W15 looks quick on the simulator and is drastically different from what they were racing with in 2022 and 2023.

“I'm staying at Mercedes to beat Red Bull with Lewis Hamilton. Those who have driven in the simulator, have told us that the 2024 car [W15] doesn't look like the car of the last two years. If we give Hamilton a good car that he can rely on, he can get back in front of everyone,” Wolff was quoted as saying by La Gazzetta.

Mercedes struggled to get back on top and challenge for the World Championship for two years now. They ended third in 2022 and second in the 2023 F1 constructors' standings.