2017 Review – Mercedes: Challenged but Still on Top

World Constructors’ Champion, 668pts

15 pole positions

12 victories

The Anglo-German team, which was then only a three-time world champion, began its season in an unusual way. Indeed, just days after winning his world championship title, Nico Rosberg decided to retire. This forced the team to find a replacement for him in haste. After a few days of speculation, the choice finally turned to Valtteri Bottas (formerly of Williams). He then joined the team, taking part in the development of the new car with a few weeks’ delay.

From its first appearance, the new creation from the Stuttgart brand impressed with its aggressive design and long wheelbase compared to its designated competitor Ferrari. Although Mercedes’ engine advantage was still prominent, the W08 overheated the rear tires, causing significant oversteer. While this characteristic would be mitigated over time, the two Silver Arrows remained difficult to set up throughout the 2017 season.

However, the choice of such a gap between the front and rear wheels will prove to be a major asset for tackling fast tracks like Silverstone, Spa Francorchamps, or Suzuka. The downside? The Mercedes team found themselves struggling on more winding circuits like the Hungaroring, Monaco, or Singapore.

If Mercedes finally managed to gain the upper hand over Ferrari, it is largely thanks to the numerous developments brought to each race by the team, against a reinvigorated Scuderia. The other secret to overcoming the legendary Italian team lies in reliability, which has rarely let the German structure down. Indeed, throughout the season, the only race retirement to regret occurred at the Spanish Grand Prix for Valtteri Bottas. The Finn had then installed an engine at the end of its cycle.

A single controversy actually affected the team, that of oil burning. As a reminder, from the Belgian Grand Prix, the tolerance concerning the amount of residual oil that could be used by the engine as fuel was reduced. All engines introduced from this date had to comply with this new limit. To avoid this constraint, Mercedes introduced a brand-new engine just before the adoption of this rule. This allowed the team to use the previous tolerance, and thus gain a slight advantage over its less informed competitors.

The men from Stuttgart have managed to retain their title despite the growing threat from Scuderia Ferrari and, to a lesser extent, Red Bull. The constructors’ title was secured at the United States Grand Prix, with three races to go. This allowed them to test new parts during the last two Fridays of the year. For 2018, the main focus will be the contribution of James Allison, who will have been involved in the entire design process of the new machine. A guarantee of quality towards a fifth consecutive drivers’ and constructors’ double?

Editor’s Note: 19/20

Lewis Hamilton:

World Champion, 363 pts

9 victories

11 pole positions

The Briton started this season with a clear desire to compete. Losing the championship title to Nico Rosberg had somewhat unsettled him. With Rosberg’s departure, he now finds himself in the role of the undisputed team leader. Lewis Hamilton’s communications, which lavishly praise his new teammate, suggest that this new situation is not displeasing to him. Even though it seems this will require him to participate more actively in development, the absence of the psychological weight represented by the German is a relief for Lewis Hamilton.

From the beginning of this new season, Hamilton shows consistency despite a Mercedes slightly behind compared to the Ferraris. However, he experiences a rollercoaster journey afterward. At the Russian Grand Prix, he struggles while his teammate secures his first F1 victory. The same goes for the Monaco Grand Prix, which doesn’t suit the characteristics of his W08, but where Valtteri Bottas fares better. He occasionally manages to make a splash on circuits that usually favor him, such as in Canada and Great Britain. He faces the most challenging phase of this 2017 year during the Azerbaijan and Austrian Grand Prix.

Let’s discuss in more detail the Baku race, which is one of the turning points of the season. As the race is about to restart, Lewis Hamilton is in the lead, setting the pace. The Briton then becomes the victim of a misunderstanding with Sebastian Vettel, whom he rear-ends. The German, angry, swerves to the left of Hamilton and bumps him with his wheel. Hamilton finishes fifth in this race after having to pit to fix his headrest. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel receives a 10-second penalty for dangerous behavior. This marks a psychological turning point in the season, giving the Briton a slight advantage in critical situations for the rest of the season.

But in the second half of the season, Hamilton clearly takes the upper hand over Vettel. It is during the Singapore race that the trend definitively reverses. Sebastian Vettel retires, relinquishing a victory and 25 points to Hamilton’s advantage. In the following race, it’s reliability that fails Vettel, allowing the Briton to stay ahead for the rest of the year. But make no mistake, the driver with number 44 did not just manage his points lead at the top of the championship. He achieved three consecutive victories to drive the point home authoritatively.

Overall, Lewis Hamilton has shown great consistency throughout the season in a car that was difficult to set up. In a rather new development for the former McLaren driver, he has been much less inclined to let himself be distracted by his private life. Evidence of this is his much more frequent presence at the factory to work on the development of his machine. He has made almost no mistakes throughout the season, which was filled with obstacles and psychologically intense. Hamilton has also demonstrated a maturity worthy of the greatest. This season, he also broke the number of pole positions held by his idol Ayrton Senna and the absolute record previously held by Michael Schumacher.

This was not the easiest title won by Lewis Hamilton. He indeed had to face fierce competition, especially from Sebastian Vettel and Ferrari, as well as Red Bull to a lesser extent. He also managed to deal with a car that was not always very predictable and often capricious. This fourth title has changed his stature, undeniably placing him in the category of the greatest drivers in Formula 1 history.

The achievement obtained this season should not satisfy the Englishman’s insatiable hunger for victory. However, it is difficult to know what the 2018 season will bring – act 2 of the duel with Sebastian Vettel or a two-man battle with his teammate like in previous years?

Editor’s note: 19/20

Valtteri Bottas:

3rd in the championship, 305 pts

4 pole positions

3 victories

The Finn arrived hastily at Mercedes to replace the newly retired Nico Rosberg at the last minute. The former Williams driver joins a new environment and must quickly adapt to a car that is not necessarily suited to his driving style. His late arrival prevented him from truly influencing the development of the W08. This new role as a driver for a top team forced him to learn to manage greater media attention and meet higher expectations. The recruitment of the driver with number 77 compelled Toto Wolff to step down from his role as his agent to avoid any conflict of interest.

Valtteri Bottas’s season starts off rather positively despite a spin during the Chinese Grand Prix race. He secures his first career pole position in Bahrain but fails to convert it into a win due to a severe lack of pace. However, in the next race, he manages to clinch an undeniable victory in Russia as his teammate struggles. Early in the season, he effectively holds his own against Hamilton and Vettel, who are battling for the championship.

He also achieved his best weekend of the year during the Austrian Grand Prix, leaving with pole position and the victory. The Finn thus keeps his chances of staying in the title race until the summer break.

In the second half of the season, he gradually starts to lose his footing as he falls victim to a certain lack of overall rhythm that seems to worry him more and more. He then finds himself quickly eliminated from the title race against Sebastian Vettel, who is in slight difficulty, and an imperious Lewis Hamilton. His end of the season is somewhat better with two pole positions in the last two races and a final victory in Abu Dhabi, marked by his first Hat-trick!

Valtteri Bottas has thus proven to be a good second driver for Mercedes by repeatedly preventing Sebastian Vettel from achieving a better result and securing important points for his team. Compared to his compatriot Kimi Räikkönen, he seems to fulfill his role as a number two driver much more efficiently. He also complied with team orders, such as in Bahrain where he stepped aside for Lewis Hamilton and in Japan where he did not put up any resistance.

Another positive point for the Finn is that he seems to bring a healthy atmosphere to a team that has sometimes been under tension in recent years. The fact that he remains at a respectable distance from Lewis Hamilton in the championship has greatly facilitated driver management for his employer. But what is most appreciated by the Mercedes executives is undeniably his disinterest in internal political games and his ability to remain impervious to the surrounding commotion.

He was therefore dominated by Lewis Hamilton over the entire season, but not crushed either contrary to what some predicted. What is certain is that expectations will be much higher next season because he will know his team perfectly and will have actively participated in the car’s development. He will also have fully embraced his new status as a driver who must be able to consistently fight for victory. The stakes will be even higher as Valtteri Bottas’s contract with Mercedes ends at the end of 2018. If his performance does not satisfy the German team’s management, numerous replacements will be waiting in line, with a certain Esteban Ocon at the forefront.

Editor’s Note: 16/20