In recent races, Mercedes appeared to have discovered the panacea. The W15, which has long struggled with aerodynamics, seems somewhat faster. The F1 vehicle flew on dry tyres at the recent Canadian Grand Prix. Furthermore, the technical team led by James Allison deserves full credit for their relentless efforts, which have paved the way for a return. The squad appeared out of touch earlier, as its drivers could not enter the top positions.
However, on Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, George Russell got the podium at a time similar to Max Verstappen. On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton, who was at P7 during the qualifying, finished at P4 with his excellence. Although both the drivers could have improved their positions, minor mistakes sabotaged their journey. Despite these mistakes, Toto Wolff has praised his team while subtly warning them about the threat posed by Red Bull.
Toto Wolff Defends Red Bull With ‘Still The Benchmark’ Remark
The Mercedes team has been consistently testing to add new enhancements. Furthermore, they chose many upgrade setups ahead of each weekend. However, the team principal instructed the technical crew to take it one step at a time and to quit expecting an overnight miracle. Thus, the eight-time constructors winners made an extensive tweak at Moncao. Therefore, It had a revised floor body, rear and front wings, suspension, and circuit-specific modifications. Consequently, George Russell was delighted with the front wings, but Lewis Hamilton was unwilling to risk the arrangement. However, both racers appreciated the new front wings and achieved the season’s best finishes in Canada. While Mercedes was fastest on the track, Max Verstappen still sneaked past Russell to clinch another victory.
Thus, Toto Wolff cautioned his team not to get carried away by the results in Canada. During an interaction with Sky Sports, Wolff said Barcelona would be an interesting challenge for the team. Furthermore, when discussing rivals such as Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari, he expressed uncertainty about their strengths on the Barcelona track. Moreover, the Austrian executive believes competition is getting stiffer with each passing weekend. Thus, he doesn’t want his team to ‘discount’ Red Bull and Verstappen, as, according to him, they are still the ‘benchmark.’ Ultimately, McLaren and Ferrari cannot be overlooked, as Wolff considers them among the top four teams.
Toto Wolff Explains The ‘INVISIBLE’ Parts Behind Mercedes’ Resurgence
Toto Wolff recently discussed Mercedes’ performance improvements, emphasizing the significant impact of both visible and invisible upgrades. He explained that while highly visible parts like bodywork or a front wing often draw attention for their role in performance changes, the team has introduced numerous new components over the last three races. Subsequently, these parts, many of which are not immediately noticeable, have collectively contributed to enhanced performance by mere milliseconds.
Wolff highlighted the concept of marginal gains, where minor improvements add up to create a positive effect. Further, he noted that this progress is the result of the immense effort from the factory team. He believes these efforts have begun generating substantial momentum for the team. Moreover, Wolff also mentioned the complexity of performance improvements, where the interaction of various components can lead to a more efficient overall flow structure. This optimization allows for better ride heights and contributes to enhanced performance bit by bit. With each incremental improvement, such as the recent advancements seen in Barcelona, Wolff hopes the results will continue to be evident on the stopwatch.