Mercedes admit having the most overweight car on grid alongside Red Bull

Mercedes Team Boss - Toto Wolff

With all-new rules and regulations for the 2022 season, cars on the grid for this season have become heavier than ever. F1’s minimum requirement was set at 795 kilograms for cars and drivers but it was recently increased by 3 kilograms as several cars struggled to get their cars light enough to be anywhere near the set limit, forcing them to change it to 798 kilograms.

Even so, One of Mercedes’ main priorities was to reduce their car’s weight before entering into the 2022 season with their team boss, Toto Wolff admitting that their W13 is one of the most overweight cars on the grid.

Mercedes AMG Petronas' W13 challenger at pre-season testing in Barcelona today — Mercedes AMG Petronas’ W13 challenger

Wolff states that Mercedes, along with 2021 title rival Red Bull, is the most overweight on the grid and will work hard to continue the diet throughout the season.

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“Where we stand is that, if I make a best case, then probably Red Bull [and] ourselves are, from the top 10 cars, the most overweight, Then there are some who are underweight, or just above it. That’s quite a lap time advantage, or disadvantage, but [we can] be clever about it.” Said Wolff over the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend.

“Some have taken the decision to go live and are benefitting from that at the moment. I think there’s, for us, definitely room to improve, and to chip away some of the bits that we have on the car that are too heavy.” Added Wolff while he told the media.

Toto Wolff is not worried about the budget cap

Mercedes' Team Principal Toto Wolff — Mercedes’ Team Principal Toto Wolff

“In a competition with Red Bull and Ferrari, it has no relevance,We were always in the same league of spending and, in the same way, we are in the same league of spending now,” Toto Wolff commented.

https://twitter.com/LappedCars/status/1506241543648301063?t=nGxknYuyCv4L6RlLWCDEsA&s=19

An important consideration to keep in mind this season as the team strives for better performance is to tighten budget limits, limiting team spending to $ 140 million. Despite this additional constraint, Wolff is not concerned that Mercedes could affect the way they seek additional performance during the season compared to Red Bull and Ferrari.

“There will be diminishing returns over the medium- to long-term. The field is going to become even closer in terms of lap time differentiation. I’ve no doubt that, when we unlock the potential that’s in the car, we will be playing with the guys in front,” Added Wolff.

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