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# Why 2019 Mercedes wasn’t as good as you might think – Tech snapshots
- URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/why-2019-mercedes-wasnt-as-good-as-you-might-think-tech-snapshots/
- Published: 2020-02-14T06:55:57.000Z
- Updated: 2023-09-16T19:41:00.000Z
- Description: Ahead of Mercedes revealing its 2020 Formula 1 car, Mark Hughes explains that even the champion team has some 2019 problems to solve in its new design
- Author: Matt Beer
- Tags: Formula 1, #image-bottom-left

**Mark Hughes is outlining what every Formula 1 team needs to address in its 2020 design if it learns the lessons from 2019\. Next on his list is Mercedes – a championship winner, but not flawless**

The combined talents of Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes race team occasionally flattered the 2019 Mercedes Formula 1 car.

It was overall the best car of the season but there were occasions when its higher drag wasn’t sufficiently compensated for by its greater downforce.

In addition to that, by the end of the season the engine was significantly down on power to Ferrari and not greatly superior to the Renault and Honda.

![Mercedes Red Bull Brazilian Grand Prix 2019](https://storage.googleapis.com/the-race-com.appspot.com/1/2020/02/XPB_1023076_HiRes.jpg)

We’d expect this hugely motivated, talented and fantastically integrated team to have approached the task of addressing those weaknesses very pugnaciously in the 2020 car, which will be seen for the first time on Friday morning ahead of a shakedown run at Silverstone.

Expect the low-rake aero philosophy to remain, but with some aggressive repackaging to help it be more effective.