Mercedes urged to use UNSPORTING trick to catch Red Bull

Christian Horner and Toto Wolff talking to the press — Photo: © LAT Images

Mercedes

Mercedes urged to use UNSPORTING trick to catch Red Bull

Damon Hill thinks the Silver Arrows have to start playing smart to return to the top

Joe Ellis

Saturday 24 June 2023 21:57

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Damon Hill has claimed Mercedes should already abandon its 2023 development in order to challenge Red Bull in 2024 and beyond.

The way F1 is currently structured means that the higher a team finishes in the constructors' standings, the less wind tunnel time it gets the following year making upgrading the car a slower process.

This allows the teams further down to have the chance to catch up and see the whole grid eventually become as fast as each other, hypothetically at least.

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Hill, the 1996 world champion, wants to see Mercedes take advantage of this rule and perform poorly on purpose to give themselves more wiggle room in 2024.

Mercedes are currently second in the constructors' standings thanks to three podiums from Lewis Hamilton, the latest coming in Canada

If not this year, then next year

"Ironically, the better Mercedes do [in 2023] the less scope they've got for the following year," Hill said.

"You kind of wonder whether Mercedes ought to be thinking about doing really badly between now and the end of the year.

"I think when you've got the budget and you can spend it but you can't because you did so well the previous season, then it kind of makes you wonder whether you ought to do really badly.

"If you're not going to win this year, you want to win next year."