Mercedes boss Toto Wolff always tries to be as realistic as possible. He never really said anything over the top about the W14 car before the opening Grand Prix in Bahrain as well. It is because Wolff always knew that the car was not yet a championship-winning material. The main problem was that the team changed their plans to add side pods because of their success in the Brazilian Grand Prix. The team had a one-two finish, and it gave them false hope about the flawed concept of zero-side pods. As a result, they endured a rough season last year. That one-two finish confused the whole team. Moreover, at the beginning of the 2023 season as well, there was a lot of hype around the Mercedes W14 car. But boss Toto Wolff never sounded too excited because there was still confusion with the design.
Toto Wolff Is Never “Too Optimistic”
Finally, team Mercedes had their best performance so far this season in the Spanish Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton came close to winning the Spanish GP for the seventh time but later settled for his second P2 finish this season. Also, the young Mercedes driver George Russell gained a P3 finish as well. It was the team’s first double podium finish this year. However, after the success in Spain, Toto Wolff remained cool and calm, as always. According to Motorsport.com, the Mercedes boss claims that he never really gets too optimistic because that is something only fools do.
Last year in Spain, team Mercedes had a good time too. Hence, they made the mistake of thinking they had found the solution to all their problems. But Toto Wolff is not letting himself and the whole team repeat that same mistake. According to him, “It does feel a bit different from last year. Moreover, we’ve learned a lot in the past year.” Adding to that, he mentioned that they understand why there is still a bit of porpoising issue. It is interesting. Hence, they can afford to be a little “cautiously optimistic.” Mercedes’ boss sarcastically mocked that they had won eight constructor titles but could not figure out what went wrong last year. He also acknowledged that they went in a different direction initially this year. But since the Monaco Grand Prix, the B-spec version of W14 is going in the right direction.
Mercedes Team Realized The Problems With W14 Since The Bahrain GP
When this year’s F1 season started with the pre-season tests in Bahrain, it was clear the Mercedes car still had a lot of issues. The W14 car had fewer porpoising issues, but there was trouble with the balance. Lewis Hamilton also complained about the rear downforce and the seat position, which was too close to the front wheels.
The Mercedes team made immediate plans for implementing upgrades in Imola, Italy. However, there was a terrible flood in Imola that caused the cancelation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Then the Silver Arrows decided to implement modifications in Monaco even though it was not the ideal place. But the Mercedes team was happy with the performance of the car.
