Mercedes has acknowledged that they are grappling with “fundamental issues” in their W15 car following a lackluster start to the 2024 Formula 1 season.

Despite high hopes of challenging Red Bull, the team failed to secure a top-four finish in both the Bahrain and Saudi Arabia races, with Max Verstappen leading his teammate Sergio Perez to dominant victories.

Lewis Hamilton, who has been outperformed by teammate George Russell in both races, expressed the need for “big changes” beyond the already implemented overhaul aimed at improving their underperforming cars from the past two seasons.

In a debrief session, Mercedes trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin discussed their struggles with experimenting on the W15’s setup during practice sessions, highlighting the lack of significant progress.

“We started to converge back in the general direction of where we came from, but the limitations we faced in qualifying and the race were broadly the same for both cars,” Shovlin explained. “It’s indicating that it’s not just minor adjustments but something more fundamental that we need to address.”

With the Australian Grand Prix approaching, Shovlin expressed optimism that the additional time for preparation could lead to some solutions. However, he also noted that the Melbourne circuit shares similarities with Jeddah, where Mercedes faced significant challenges.

Shovlin highlighted issues with balance, grip, and straight-line speed, indicating a need for comprehensive analysis and experimentation to improve performance without compromising on other aspects.

Despite being one of the quickest cars on the straights in Jeddah, Mercedes aims to maintain this advantage while addressing their deficiencies in other areas to regain competitiveness in the upcoming races.