After the Japanese Grand Prix, Mercedes feels as though they finally know how to maximize the performance of their problematic W15 F1 vehicle.

Despite a concept modification over the winter, the eight-time constructors’ world champions have had another dismal start to the season with their 2024 F1 challenger proving inconsistent.

George Russell finished seventh, two places ahead of teammate Lewis Hamilton, but Mercedes ultimately suffered their worst finish in over a decade despite a bright start to the weekend at Suzuka.

Mercedes, however, believes that by developing a “more stable platform” with the W15, they have achieved a breakthrough.

Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin stated, “The big program we were looking at was to try and get the car a bit more predictable through the weekend,” in the team’s most recent debrief video.

We discovered that while it may be placed within a window, it soon slips out if the wind or track temperature changes, which negatively affected both qualifying and race performance.

Without a doubt, we’re not where we should be right now, and we recognize that we still have work to do. However, the car was undoubtedly easier to work with during the weekend and had more constant balance.

“There are certain concerns that we must address and resolve promptly. However, as I mentioned before, we realize that there is still work to be done, and we will get to it right away. In any case, it appears that our platform is more reliable now, with more consistent behavior throughout the whole weekend.

After an early red light, Mercedes tried a one-stop race using Hard tires, but after a subpar first stint, they called the bet off.

“On the second outing, we hung out a little bit longer to create a little lead. A safety car may have been helpful, but one wasn’t present. However, you don’t want to be away for too long that you can’t return, according to Shovlin.

After analyzing the tire curves, we found that there wasn’t much of a difference between the hard and medium tires. At the end of the race, it was undoubtedly colder, which could have been beneficial. However, the third and second stints went well.

We are aware that we are not quick enough, that we have to close a significant gap with Red Bull, and that we have to focus on closing a smaller gap with Norris and the Ferraris. However, in stints two and three, the car’s performance was exactly what we had anticipated.