Mike Elliott: the 2022 ‘mistake’ making Mercedes stronger. As soon as the 2022 Mercedes F1 car hit the racetrack, the man who oversaw its creation realised it had problems. ‘We made a mistake’, admits Technical Director Mike Elliot. Mike tells Tom Clarkson how they traced the car’s problems to a single design decision, how a year of not winning has helped the people at Mercedes develop, and how he craves a return to the team’s championship-winning form. Looking back, Mike remembers the remarkable day two top teams offered him a role which led him to work in aerodynamics for McLaren. He recalls a surprising early conversation he had with the team’s young test driver, Lewis Hamilton. McLaren’s former leader Ron Dennis, legendary car designer Adrian Newey, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and drivers Michael Schumacher, Nico Rosberg and George Russell also feature in Mike’s story. He explains how F1 engineering has become ‘more specialised’ and has advice for anyone who aspires to work in F1.