After a slow start to 2023, Merce𝐆des decided to chang🍸e their design concept with the W14 by introducing a major upgrade in Monaco.

The update saw significant changes to the sidepod era with Hamilton pushing Mercedes to go down the Red Bull r🐓oute.

Hamilton raised his concerns abo꧟ut this year's Mercedes immediately after the season-ope🗹ning Bahrain Grand Prix.

He said to the BBC: “Last year🃏, I told them❀ the issues that are with the car. 

“Like, I’ve driven ꦉso many cars in my life, so I know what a car needs, I know what a car d𝐆oesn’t need.”

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Croft speculate💫d that the design changes have been dictated by the drivers, rather than the engineering 🧔team.

“I worry with Mercedes who’s wagging these engineering changes?” h⛄e 🅰said.

“Is the engineering team saying we need to be chan🍎gin🧸g our concept, or is it pressure from those in the cockpit from Lewis and from George?

“Lewis is a vastly experienced racing driver and George h🔯as got plenty of experience himself, but you want the engineering team to be driving it because they understand engineering and design and aerodynami🍃cs way more than the drivers ever will. 

“But 𒆙I just worry that the changing concept, did it come from the cockpit or did it come from back at base?”

Like Ferrari at the end of the Miꦉchael Schumacher era, Croft says Mercedes’ downfall is expected given the high-profile personnel that 🔥have left the team.

“They’re losing staff, Loic Serra is heading off to Ferrari and they’ll miss him, and there have been others that have gone as well,” Cr𝄹oft added.

“We often see that dynasties dissipate after a while, and that group of men and women that came together to create such an amazing dynasty at Mercedes have ticked past midnight and are we starting to wane just a littl🦹e bit now?”