Mercedes’ Miami wings were for performance, not porpoising

Mercedes’ Miami wings were a “step forward” in performance but Mike Elliott says they were not part of the team’s efforts to fix their bouncing problems.

Mercedes arrived at the Miami Grand Prix with new wings – front, rear and beam.

It was thought that the new elements were being introduced in the hope that they would help eradicate the team’s bouncing but Mercedes technical director Mike Elliott says that was not their role.

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“I think it is important to differentiate two things,” he said in Mercedes’ post-Miami debrief.

“One is the normal upgrade path and the other one is fixing the issues that we are having with bouncing and other things that are compromising the performance.”

The wings were part of the former.

Elliott added: “The wings that we brought definitely brought us the performance that we were expecting and were a step forward.”

Detalles de las nuevas pletinas del ala delantera de Mercedes.

Details of Mercedes new front wing endplates.#F1 pic.twitter.com/qNNq4n4uRd

— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) May 6, 2022

Mercedes did show improved pace in Friday’s practice, George Russell quickest of all with Lewis Hamilton fourth.

However, that pace dissipated in qualifying with Russell recovering to finish P5 in the grand prix, Hamilton one place back in sixth, both drivers again bouncing their way through the grand prix.

But while the wings were brought to the Miami International