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Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W14, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W14
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Analysis

How Mercedes' new F1 upgrades fared - and what's next for the revitalised W14

The eagerly anticipated upgrades that Mercedes had intended to debut at Imola made a belated appearance at Monaco after the Italian round's cancellation.

Mercedes' persistence in continuing with its egregiously named "zero-pod" sidepods was admirable. Simulations and wind tunnel data suggested that the distinctly shrink-wrapped bodywork could offer gallons of performance, if it could simply be unshackled by the engineers. Unfortunately for the Mercedes designers, this was like trying to nail a jelly to the wall.

Last year's W13 chassis, the first attempt at a car with those sidepods, was plagued by issues that caused the drivers great discomfort in its willingness to bounce like a space hopper along the straights, and great uncertainty on the brakes. A season's worth of continued development transformed the car from a troubled teen into a race winner, but it could be argued that George Russell's visit to the top step in Brazil offered false hope.

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