Toto Wolff gives insight into the major Mercedes upgrades coming to Imola
Toto Wolff opens up about Mercedes' upgrade package for the Emilia Romagna GP.
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Toto Wolff
Mercedes has fallen behind in the new ground-effect regulations in Formula 1. The Silver Arrows have failed to match the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari as the German team pursued a less optimum aero philosophy. The Brackley-based team has tried to improve its prospects with big updates in the pipeline. Team Principal Toto Wolff shed some light on the team’s first major package.
The 51-year-old reckoned that the Emilia Romagna GP is the target for these upgrades. However, Wolff admitted that it would not bring the Silver Arrows back to winning races straightaway. He said, “Yeah, the target is Imola. We just need to manage everybody’s expectation because we’re talking so much about that upgrade, we’re not going to put it down on the track and then drive circles around Red Bull, but it’s going be a good baseline I think.”
Toto acknowledged the ramifications of the cost cap as Mercedes couldn’t bring in a new chassis under the financial rules. Subsequently, the German team needs to plan with great care for such upgrades. Toto Wolff explained, “If we were completely free, we would bring a different chassis. And so what we have to decide really carefully is what we want to upgrade.” The team is expected to bring a new front suspension, and floor as well as upgrades in the aero of the car.
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Mercedes upgrade pace hampered by F1 cost cap
The Austrian further clarified that his team would have had faster development if it was not bounded by the F1 cost cap. Although this would have also allowed other teams to bring in more upgrades. Wolff stated, “If we were free, we would probably bring double the amount of upgrades, but so would the others.”
Moreover, the 51-year-old highlighted the need to make the correct decisions and find the right balance through development. He continued, “As it’s a relative game, you just need to be clever in taking the right decisions that bring the optimum amount of performance.” Wolff was convinced that the team needs to find the right base to build upon to provide drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell with a satisfactory car. However, this is not going to be an easy task for the Silver Arrows.
He concluded, “If we get the platform right, it is less about adding 10 points of downforce and more about giving the drivers a car that when they turn the wheel into the corner they actually know the rear doesn’t overtake them. That’s the problem. “Then we can catch up, as we did last year.”
Thus, Toto Wolff has clarified that Mercedes is looking forward to its big upgrade package for Imola. The Silver Arrows will be hoping to get the right baseline with these updates to ensure that the team can get back to winning ways. However, it remains to be seen if the new upgrades work as expected for the Brackley-based team or if the engineers are forced to return to the drawing board.
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