Mercedes' technical director Mike Elliott has said that the team know where they made a mistake in terms of developing their 2022 car.

The W13 has been dubbed a 'diva' by the team this year with it proving a lot harder to predict in terms of its optimal set-up than previous cars, particularly earlier on this year.

Indeed, as the season has worn on we have seen improved performance from the Silver Arrows, but not to the level we have become accustomed to seeing from them and certainly not to the level of Red Bull and Ferrari this year.

Mercedes find key mistake with W13

Lewis Hamilton ahead of the field at Zandvoort

ZANDVOORT, NETHERLANDS - SEPTEMBER 04: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team W13 on track during the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort on September 04, 2022 in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

Even so, they will be working hard over the winter to ensure that they come back in 2023 a great deal stronger and it sounds as though they know exactly where they went wrong with the car for this season, and how to fix it.

Speaking to the Beyond the Grid podcast, Elliott said:

“You look at how we developed the car, and I can point to one moment in time last year where we did something where I think we made a mistake. What you’re seeing in terms of performance and the way it swings from race to race is a consequence of that, and that’s a mistake we’ve known about for a while and something we’ve been correcting - that’s why our performance has gradually got better."

Elliott was obviously careful not to give too much away about what that mistake exactly was, but Mercedes fans will be pleased to hear that they know what the issue is, and they have a good idea on how to rectify it.

Indeed, Elliott went onto say that over the winter, ahead of 2023, Mercedes should be able to fully correct said issue:

“It’s not something we can fully correct for a little while yet, and we will do over the winter.”

It's been pretty strange seeing Mercedes not right at the front of the field but nothing lasts forever, and Merc themselves have said that this year could be one that they learn more from than any of their dominant campaigns in recent times.

It'll be interesting to see how the 2023 car goes, then, if they have indeed found a key cause of their struggles this campaign.

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