Mercedes wins ninth constructors title at Interlagos
Mercedes claimed its ninth constructors championship at Interlagos, ending an eight-year gap since 2021. Engineering director Andrew Shovlin stated that the new budget cap makes repeating the previous dominance impossible, forcing the team to focus on efficiency and continuous improvement.
Mercedes secured its ninth constructors’ championship at Interlagos on Sunday, ending a wait that began after the last of eight consecutive titles in 2021. The Brackley-based team won every constructors’ title from 2014 to 2021, a streak that ended just as Formula One entered the ground-effect era in 2022, one year after the introduction of the budget cap. Red Bull and McLaren then took two titles each before this year’s new regulations gave Mercedes an opportunity to return to the top. Trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin joined F1 TV’s post-race show in the middle of the celebrations to discuss why the previous era of total control is now over.
The cost cap kills the streak
Shovlin argues that the financial restrictions make it "really impossible" to replicate the run of eight championships with the way the sport operates now. He noted that the tight competition means teams like Ferrari, which has had very strong races, and McLaren, which performed well today, keep pressure on the leaders. "You’ve got to look at it as, ‘How are we going to beat ourselves next year? What are we going to do that would actually allow us to push forward and bring forward a better team?’" he explained. The engineer believes that the lack of recent wins made the team stronger this year, forcing them to work harder to improve their processes.
Champion status brings testing limits
As the reigning champion, Mercedes will receive the least aerodynamic testing time, a rule Shovlin played down when asked about it. "It does peg you back, but it leads to exciting racing because it’s harder to kind of dominate in the way that teams have in the past," he added. This restriction forces the team to be more efficient with their development cycles, ensuring they cannot simply rely on superior wind tunnel hours to maintain a gap over rivals. Shovlin stated that the team will take nothing for granted, assuming they will get beaten if they do not do the best job possible. The focus remains on working hard and bringing forward a better team rather than resting on past laurels.
