How a Honda F1 failure demonstrates massive Mercedes progress

OPINION: Back in 2007, the Honda squad launched an ambitious Formula 1 car with big expectations. Fast-forward 15 years and what is now the Mercedes team did likewise in 2022. Both seasons were horror shows for the same Brackley base, but the most recent showed just how far a team can develop when set on the right course. This is a lesson for one of Mercedes’ rivals heading in 2023…

The team at Brackley had such expectations of the year ahead. An intriguing livery to show off, drivers determined to prove points. And it all fell apart, horribly.

No, we’re not still stuck in Formula 1 season review mode. As the hubbub and excitement of December have long since made way for the bleaker but differently important days of January, we know this is a good time to reflect. Change, if you want to. Or embrace what you’ve got – but have a good old think about it, nevertheless. Because doing the same things over again will, of course, only yield the same results.

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Author Alex Kalinauckas

Alex Kalinauckas is Autosport's Grand Prix Editor, covering every Formula 1 race since the start of 2020. After completing a master's degree in journalism at Goldsmiths College University of London in 2014, he worked for a range of motorsport and technology publications while covering national racing as an Autosport freelancer.

A lifelong motorsport fan - no one in his family can explain quite how or why such a development first occurred - Alex joined the Autosport staff in April 2017 as the magazine’s Assistant Editor covering Formula 2 and GP3, before being made Formula E correspondent and Autosport.com’s Plus Editor in March 2018. He lives in north-east London and is constantly frustrated by the Central Line.