Despite their hopes for a memorable race, Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s plans for the Brazilian Grand Prix 2023 turned into a race to forget. With the Mercedes W14 continuing to be a difficult car to drive, Hamilton’s hope of winning his ‘home race’ was quickly shattered as even Toto Wolff struggled to be positive. However, amidst Wolff’s pessimism, an F1 expert has contradicted him, as a silver lining has emerged for Lewis Hamilton.

Following the recent Brazilian Grand Prix, a disappointed Toto Wolff has not shied away from criticizing the Mercedes W14. Labeling the car as “miserable” and struggling to even find words to describe the performance, it’s clear that Wolff is clearly not happy. However, recent comments by an F1 expert provide a rather contradicting stance to him.

A silver lining given to Lewis Hamilton, as according to Naomi Schiff, Mercedes isn’t far off from bouncing back

In a recent Sky Sports F1 podcast, TV presenter Naomi Schiff dwelled on the Mercedes and their showcase at the Brazilian GP. With Toto Wolff’s comment being the talk of the town, she rather disagreed with him, as the Belgian racing driver provided quite a contrasting opinion. An opinion that not only gives hope to the Mercedes fans but also provides a silver lining for Lewis Hamilton.

During the podcast, she stated, “They were obviously, you know, using up tires a lot more than majority of the teams around them and something that’s very uncharacteristic for their car. So unable to use the tires in the way they wanted to. And on top of that, they had reliability issues. So a lot of things going wrong for them.”

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However, she hasn’t lost hope in Mercedes as she further added, “But if you look back, just two races, they had two podiums in two races in that car was moving forwards in a positive trajectory. So I think although it was quite a dramatic result for them, it just does seem like it may be a once off and maybe they know more than we do, and obviously they do. But at the end of the day, we’ve seen that car in the past be very, as Toto described it, on a knife’s edge. So that working widow for them is very narrow. And I think that given the fact it was a sprint weekend, it’s possible that they led themselves in the wrong direction when it comes to setups.”

Moreover, Schiff further assessed the Silver Arrow’s possible actions, after the Brazilian GP. She added, “So I’m pretty sure that they’re having debriefs right now. But I don’t know if we should take Toto’s reactions with a bit of a pinch of salt. I think it was quite a pessimistic outlook on a weekend that, of course didn’t go the way they wanted it to at all. But are they really in that dire of a situation right now? I think recent future, I mean recent history I should say, shows that they aren’t in such a terrible place.“

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Naomi Schiff’s statement may provide an optimistic view of things for Mercedes. But whether she ends up being correct or not, will only be known in time. After all, it’s the second year in a row the Brackley team has dropped the ball compared to its rivals.

Can Mercedes improve upon the W14?

In 2023, Red Bull has one-upped the developments on the last year’s car. Meanwhile, Mercedes has somehow found a way to progress, but in the wrong direction. The W14 seems to be a complete mess with even a seven-time world champion like Lewis Hamilton struggling to get a pole. With only two races remaining in the current 2023 season, the question is whether Mercedes can improve upon the W14. Can they figure out the mess they have dug themselves into?

Well, the answer so far remains to be unknown. Considering that Mercedes is strong in the engine department (as evident from their dominating since the introduction of the turbo-hybrid engine). It seems clear that to improve upon the W14, they need to improve on the aerodynamics part of the car. Ever since the introduction of the aerodynamics regulations back in 2021, Red Bull caught up massively with their rival. However, this can be possible if Mercedes somehow manages to nail the 2026 regulations.

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Thanks to Naomi Schiff, a silver lining is on the cards for Lewis Hamilton, as she contradicts Toto Wolff’s pessimism. Perhaps Mercedes should focus on the 2025 F1 season, as a long-term recovery plan for the big 2026 overhaul, since the next season is still uncertain for them.