“We understand the car much better,” Toto Wolff hints mega Mercedes upgrades ahead of Azerbaijan GP
Toto Wolff reveals he saw glimpses of W14’s performance at the Australian GP.
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Toto Wolff, Image via F1.
Toto Wolff and Mercedes hoped for a better start to the 2023 season after a dull 2022. The team worked hard over the winter break to bring performance. However, they lacked the pace and could not keep up with Red Bull and Aston Martin. The first two rounds of the season were tough. Things turned around in the third round. Lewis Hamilton finished second at the Australian GP. The team could finally catch a break. It is the best result for them so far this season.
Now, F1 is on a four-week break due to the cancellation of the Chinese GP. The race will restart next weekend in Azerbaijan. The teams had ample time to understand the data from the first three races and work on their updates. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that he has identified the issue and knows where they need to improve the car. He had previously mentioned that Mercedes would change its car concept.
Toto Wolff opened up in an interview with Mercedes’ official website, “In terms of car development, it is encouraging to see that within three races, we understand the car much better, we have defined a clear direction where we need to go, and I believe we are on the right trajectory. We need to consolidate our understanding, and hopefully, over the next few races, we can make another step.”
Toto Wolff reveals that both factories are working at a “fast pace”
Wolff added, “It’s also important to keep on track and not oscillate too much between exuberance and depression; to stay rational and believe in our trajectory, believe in the capability of the team.There will be setbacks but there will also be upgrades and plenty of work that will help us get closer to the front. The machine is continuing to run in Brixworth and Brackley at a fast pace. The performance of the car and power unit is made in these two factories.”
Toto Wolff revealed that the mindset is great within the team. The Austrians believe in the organization because of their winning mentality. They do not focus on a single race weekend or a single season. He confessed that Mercedes tries to build its capability for long-term success. However, Wolff is aware that no sports team wins every single season. The team trusts in the process.
Wolff also spoke about the gap to Red Bull. The Milton Keynes team set the benchmark, according to the Mercedes boss. Wolff understands that his team needs to recover. They want to compete for race wins. He trusts his team and knows they will eventually take up the fight against Red Bull. Mercedes will bring upgrades to close the gap in front.
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