Mercedes is hoping their new floor, set to be introduced in Austin, will help them bounce back after falling behind following their pre-summer break comeback.
In the upcoming race in Singapore, they will be using the old-spec floor that was previously used in Baku.
Mercedes is relying on the new floor for the United States Grand Prix.
The team excelled in the races leading up to the Formula 1 summer break, securing victory in three out of the last four races.
This success has sparked discussions about Mercedes potentially claiming a top-three position in the overall standings for the season.
But in a season in which several teams, including championship leaders Red Bull, have made missteps with their upgrades, Mercedes were unsure about the new floor that they brought to the Belgian Grand Prix. So much so, they reverted to the old floor after the Friday practice.
The new floor was back on the W15 at the Dutch Grand Prix and, happy with the initial feel on the Friday, they kept it on for the rest of the weekend only for the drivers to finish seventh and eight with George Russell ahead of Hamilton.
Again falling short of the podium in Italy where Hamilton was the best-placed Mercedes driver in fifth place, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin said they had to ask themselves the difficult question of whether there is “anything subtle in the handling characteristics that this package might be doing that we haven’t anticipated.”
The team ultimately made the call not to run the problematic floor in Baku, reverting to the pre-Spa design.
But while Russell did finish third in Azerbaijan, it was an inherited podium with the driver on course for P5 before Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez’s late-race crash.
Wolff announced that the drivers will use the same floor in the upcoming Singapore race, but Mercedes will introduce a new design at the United States Grand Prix.
“The team principal informed the media in Baku that there was not a significant difference in performance. The issue of balance performance on the new floor remained the same.”
“In Singapore, we will use the current specification for the race before switching to a new one from Austin onwards.”
And when he says new, he is referring to a completely new specification, not the one used at Spa. The final decision on what will be raced will be made after the practice sessions.” “I believe it’s important to review the information,” he said.
You always opt for a new option when the current one isn’t functioning correctly, but the previous one isn’t working either. Therefore, whether to stick with the old option or switch to a new one is still undecided.”
During the previous season, Mercedes attached a fresh floor to the W14 car during the United States GP race.
Hamilton finished second at the end of the race but was later disqualified due to a technical violation involving excessive wear on his skid block.
Mercedes currently hold the fourth position in the Constructors’ Championship with seven races left to go. They are trailing Ferrari by 116 points and are ahead of Aston Martin by 227 points.