In the round-up: Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says that his team are “many months” behind rivals Red Bull and Ferrari in their car development
In brief
Mercedes “many months” behind Red Bull and Ferrari due to porpoising
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says that his team are “many months” behind rivals Red Bull and Ferrari in their car development due to their focus on reducing porpoising with their car.
The team finished third in the constructors’ championship behind Red Bull and Ferrari after starting the season struggling heavily from porpoising with their car. Eventually Mercedes improved their performance and won the Brazilian Grand Prix, but Wolff believes they have a lot of ground still to make up on their rivals.
“We lost many months of development because we simply had to solve the the porpoising problem before being able to actually add performance back into the car,” Wolff said.
“Because whatever we added in terms of downforce went nowhere – the drivers couldn’t feel it, the car became even more unpredictable and the bouncing got worse. So considering the six months delay in putting performance on the car is something that will be tremendously difficult to catch up against Ferrari and Red Bull.”
Honda gift Verstappen NSX Type S
Double Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen was presented with a new Honda NSX Type S from Honda as a gift for winning the 2021 and 2022 world champions
Honda powered Verstappen and Red Bull to his first world championship title in 2021. While Verstappen successfully defended his championship in dominant fashion in 2022 using power units maintained by Red Bull, they were still designed and produced by Honda.
At the Honda Thanks Day end of season celebrations at the Motegi circuit in Japan, Honda chairman Seiji Kuraishi presented Verstappen with a new NSX Type S as a token of appreciation for helping Honda win their first drivers’ championship for over 30 years.
“That’s an incredible present. It’s an amazing car,” Verstappen said before taking the car for a drive. “I’m very, very proud to receive it, so thank you very much.”
Ferrari unveils Vision GT concept car for Gran Turismo
Ferrari have unveiled a special Vision GT concept car in collaboration with Gran Turismo to be featured in the popular PlayStation racing game franchise.
The Ferrari Vision Gran Turismo concept was designed exclusively for the game, making Ferrari the latest manufacturer to…
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