Toto Wolff reveals major area of concern for Mercedes with the W14

Toto Wolff is frustrated by the performance output of the Mercedes's W14 this year.

Toto Wolff reveals major area of concern for Mercedes with the W14

Toto Wolff (Credits: WWOS) and Mercedes (Sky Sports)

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes Team Principal, has gone through a mixed wave of emotions so far in the 2023 F1 season. The W14 has been incredibly up and down in terms of its performance output; amidst all this, Wolff has shed light on the area of the car that needs significant improvement.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell haven’t been too impressed with how unpredictable the W14 has proven to be, and just like Toto Wolff, they are also desperate to have a car underneath him that is fully trustworthy. The Brackley-based team looked quite a threat at some tracks during the first leg, whereas they were extremely bad at some of the others.

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Wolff being the major driving force of Mercedes, understands the problems of the team, and while talking about it recently, he said, “I think the main areas of improvement is just to give the drivers a more reliable car. It’s not about the absolute amount of downforce but for them to know that the car is going to be stable when they turn into the corner. Which isn’t the case at the moment.“

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Looking at the comments of the Austrian, it is quite clear that reliability is the main concern for Mercedes. Hamilton and Co. are not 100 percent sure regarding the handling of the car, and Wolff wants his team to work on the problem and develop adept solutions to improve the driveability of the W14.

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Toto Wolff’s team is determined to finish second in the 2023 standings

Mercedes (Credits: Planet F1)
Mercedes (Credits: Planet F1)

During the turbo-hybrid era, Mercedes was the team to beat at the pinnacle of motor racing. However, since introducing new regulations in 2022, the team has gone backward on the grid. It hasn’t been able to pose a serious enough challenge for the coveted Formula 1 World Championship.

Moreover, during the ongoing campaign, Red Bull has performed in a league of its own and is out of Mercedes’s catching range. 2023 is all about damage limitation for Toto Wolff and Co. by finishing in the second position at the end of the season. But it will not be easy, considering Aston Martin, Ferrari, and even McLaren is in hot pursuit of them.

The second leg of the campaign is due to kick off on the 25th of August, and from Zandvoort onward, it will be immensely crucial for Mercedes to put in consistent performances and score as many points as possible. Otherwise, they could lose their current position in the Constructors standings.

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