Allison: Upgrading W14 doesn't feel like throwing good money after bad

Allison's statement comes despite Mercedes boss Toto Wolff revealing plans to switch focus on the team's 2024 F1 car after being beaten by McLaren at the 2023 British Grand Prix.

Mercedes debuted a major upgrade on their troublesome W14 back in Monaco that included a shift in their design philosophy that previously featured the slim sidepods, but despite the significant changes, the team could not change the car fully as the chassis remained the same.

That means the benefits of the changes will only be reaped once the car is redesigned and built from the ground up, which can only happen in 2024 given the cost cap restrictions that prevent the team from bringing a totally new car midseason.

That explains Mercedes' up and down performances following the upgrades, which Allison believes should continue especially as some of them will be carried into the 2024 campaign.

Speaking in Mercedes' post Silverstone debrief, Allison said: "We are only just round about halfway through the season and there is plenty more development to come in these cars.

"All of the teams will of course be turning their attention to next year and that will defang all of us a little bit in terms of the rate of which we can improve our cars.

"There are absolutely improvements that we would like to make on our current car that we know will also carry into next year," he insisted. "So it doesn't feel like throwing good money after bad. The feeling is that you are investing in both seasons with those upgrades.

"For us yes, you will see the upgrades coming for a little while longer," the Mercedes engineer declared. "I suspect for the others too. What you will get in this next sequence of races is a little bit of yoyoing for position in a very closely packed bunch as upgrades make the difference for one team for a while, until someone else will come out of sequence with another upgrade a race or two later to even things back out.

"Where it will all settle down for the final quarter to one third of a season, we will see. Hopefully we will have our noses in front and be able to have a strong second half of the season," Allison concluded.

Mercedes are currently second in the 2023 F1 Constructors' Championship on 203 points compared to 411 for leaders Red Bull. Aston Martin is third on 181.