Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team has been striving for a comeback for two seasons now. Last year, they recorded a winless season for the first time since 2011. However, the Silver Arrows are treating the abysmal season as a learning curve to produce something extraordinary going into the 2024 F1 season.
Mercedes has devoted the utmost focus to developing the 2024 season challenger, W15, as per the highest standards. However, gaining lap time won’t be the only thing that aids the Brackley-based team’s comeback campaign. In the 2024 season, the Silver Arrows are determined to resolve the Achilles heel, as confirmed by team principal Toto Wolff.
Mercedes Boss Promises Of Better Pit Stops This Coming Season!
Mercedes is set to officially launch the 2024 F1 season challenger, W15, on Valentine’s Day, i.e., February 14. Meanwhile, ahead of the d-day, team principal shed light on what to expect from the coming crucial season. Wolff reckoned positive improvement. But also urged the fans to keep expectations in check at the same time. While the Silver Arrows will bring in conceptual change in W15, the sudden change could also lead to yet another disaster if it backfires. Regardless, Wolff is confident and has the utmost faith in his team of engineers back in the factory. Having said that, car performance wasn’t the only aspect where the Brackley-based team lagged behind in 2023. Their awful pit stops caught the attention of the fans as they were called out their unserious efforts.
On the other hand, Red Bull won the DHL pit-stop award for the sixth consecutive season. Not only that, but McLaren set an all-time record for the fastest pit stop, which was measured at 1.8 seconds. Relatively, Mercedes remained much slower, with the stops averaging around 3 seconds. Thus, heading into the 2024 F1 season, Toto Wolff is confident of a change around. He said that when the regulations with respect to pit stops were changed a few years ago, his team took a conservative approach towards it. But now, Wolff will take a leaf out of his rivals’ books to perform a better job this season. “We’ve seen other teams doing it differently. So watch this space. I think it’s going to be very different,” said Toto Wolff. Not only that, but the Silver Arrows reportedly upgraded the garage with the latest new pitstop equipment.
Toto Wolff Delivers Positive Verdict On W15 Ahead Of Official Launch!
Weeks ahead of the W15 launch, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has delivered a promising verdict on the 2024 season challenger. In an interview with the Telegraph, Wolff reckoned team’s sim driver Anthony Davidson’s experience with the W15. Apparently, Davidson told Wolff that the new car feels like a car meeting F1 standards for the first time in the past two seasons.
Toto Wolff was extremely delighted to learn about Mercedes’ sim driver’s verdict on W15. That being said, the countdown to the 2024 F1 season has officially begun. By next month, the teams will start unveiling the challengers one by one before pre-season tests go on floors later in February.
