Mercedes reveal the "fear" and "worry" that nags away at them
Mercedes reveal the "fear" and "worry" that nags away at them
Mercedes technical director James Allison has outlined the fears and worries that are gnawing away at the team ahead of the new Formula 1 season.
Mercedes is currently on a record-breaking run of seven consecutive constructors' and drivers' titles and naturally head into the new campaign as favourites to make it eight in a row.
But Allison has stated that the staff at Brackley and Brixworth are typically resting uneasily for a variety of reasons as they wait for the W12 to take to the track in anger.
"Although it is an unusual year, with Covid forcing on us a whole bunch of different rhythms, there are still some things that just don’t change," declared Allison in an interview on the Mercedes website.
"We are coming up to a new season, we’ve got all the fun and excitement ahead of us of finding out whether the work we have done is sufficient to produce a competitive car and that excitement is always matched by another emotion, which is anxiety.
"And that’s because we exist for one purpose: [to] produce a racing car that is capable of fighting at the front and hopefully securing wins and championships.
"At this stage of the year, you hope you have done enough work but we’re never certain until the cars are actually on a track doing it for real.
"So, alongside all that excitement is the fear and that fear nagging away continuously at you, [from] the moment you open your eyes in the morning all the way through the day until you go to bed at night. That fear of not doing enough.
"Although it can be a bit wearing, that fear is part of the cocktail of excitement that is being part of Formula One and it is something that you learn to live with over the seasons. But it’s always felt at its most sharp, at this time of year."
There is an added concern for Allison and the 1500-strong workforce across the two facilities that relate to the fact this year's car is predominantly based on last season's challenger, with the exception of a number of aerodynamic tweaks.
It has left Allison wondering whether no stone has been left unturned in a bid to ensure the car is as robust and as quick as its predecessors that have yielded so much success.
"It is a strange year this one," added Allison. "It feels like it’s going smoothly back here, and we hope it is going smoothly.
"But it’s such a different start to the year for us. So, there is a little part of us just nagging away in the back of our heads going: 'Have we forgotten something?'
"Because, unlike in a normal year, where we would have a billion new bits all streaming in from all four corners of the earth to put together the new car right at the last minute, this year is a little different.
"That’s because much of what we are going to launch with the W12 has already seen action on the track in 2020.
"So, instead of having all that new inventory being tested, put into sub-assemblies and then put onto the real car, we have instead got more of a management job to make sure our stock levels are right, we are putting all the things we need to in the right places and we are testing the things that have changed - rather than the entire car.
"And because that’s such a change of rhythm, it does make us worry have we missed something?
"We are busy, of course, double- and triple-checking we haven’t missed anything, so by the time things are ready to be put on planes and sent off to the tracks, we don’t have any embarrassing omissions."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
Hamilton in Ferrari F1 SHOCK as star targeted for stunning Audi move - GPFans F1 Recap
- 2 hours ago
F1 wonderkid in Mercedes TEST amid driver replacement reports
- 3 hours ago
Former Perez F1 boss reveals who should replace him
- Yesterday 21:57
Sainz hints at sensational move to rival series
- Yesterday 20:57
McLaren star DROPPED following serious injury
- Yesterday 19:57
F1 legend confident about Newey to Ferrari
- Yesterday 18:58
Related news
F1 wonderkid in Mercedes TEST amid driver replacement reports
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
Verstappen 'to meet Mercedes over SHOCK 2025 move as Red Bull exit clause revealed'
BLOW for former F1 champion as Mercedes preferences revealed
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860