The Bahrain Pre-Seaosn 2023 Test has been a reality check for Mercedes. The team brought the W14 with the changed livery with the message of a strong comeback, but perhaps not as STRONG as Red Bull. Within the two-day run of the new Mercedes car, a lot of issues have been recorded. For God’s sake, let’s say Mercedes is not dealing with porpoising issues this year, but a set of other problems is on the way. Toto Wolff is explaining the present tense situation of Mercedes.
During the second day of a three-day test run, Lewis Hamilton complained about the car being out of balance, and George Russell caused a red flag due to hydraulic failure. These issues are minor and can get resolved within the course of the day. But the question is, why has Red Bull faced no such problem? RB19 is still the strongest among all, concluding all the team’s performance. It is once again getting hard for Mercedes to catch up, with Red Bull being the fastest. The team’s principal, Toto Wolff, is not happy with how the two days of test run went for W14. He is “NOT” satisfied with the outcome.
Admitting the issues Mercedes is facing so far this year, Wolff said, “the biggest problem is the car actually feels good.” The first day of the three-day long run of the W14 went well. But on the second day, Mercedes had something like “poison” in the car. As Wolff claims, “The team do not understand why it [the car] did not perform.”
“Mercedes Is Not Strong Enough,” Toto Wolff Being Realistic About The Outcomes
Toto Wolff has been guiding Mercedes for ten years. And each year, worries remained surrounded. The same is happening this year. Now Wolff is a little experienced with how things work in f1. He said, “it does not change any of my worries. We think we know where the hydraulic failures are coming from.”
In conclusion, it can be said that Mercedes stands too far back from being a title contender for the 2023 Championship. Battling with Red Bull and Ferrari demands something more that Mercedes still lacks. When Toto Wolff was asked about being stronger in front of Red Bull this year, he said, “No, we need to be realistic.”
“Mercedes 2023 car is not strong enough at the moment to really fight at the front of the grid.” At least not in the Bahrain testing”, said the CEO and chief of Mercedes. This is the time when Mercedes needs to consolidate and see where the team stands at present. However, Wolff can assure you one thing, the problems coming from W14 are not the same as W13, and they will get fixed quicker.
These problems are not as big, “but the train with Red Bull has left the station.” And Mercedes has not raced yet.” By the way, you never know when Mercedes will be able to find the unlocking potential of the car. With that one decision, Mercedes may fix everything and win. But “We have not found that,” said Toto Wolff.