Just like how team Mercedes got defeated last year, it is justified whatever step they take this year to get the wins back, even if it includes copying someone else’s concept, right? Well, at least the team’s principal, Toto Wolff, is ready for that. He can do “without a doubt.” Last year was the first in Wolff’s career when he saw such defeat, that too by Red Bull, their biggest on-track enemy. After smashing headphones in the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Wolff was frustrated enough, and now that Mercedes remained out of title contention in 2022, it gave no relief plus another wound to the boss.
Rather Than A Revolution, An Evolution Is Important For Mercedes Claimed Toto Wolff
However, these failures were all meant for getting “re-energized,” as claimed by the Silver Arrows boss. 2022 was not the end of the Mercedes era. It was just a step back that a lion takes before attacking even stronger. Since the 2012 Formula One season, or when Toto Wolff joined Mercedes, the winning probability of the team increased to 57%. They never lost a single season within the past 8 years. And just as last year W13 started giving porpoising issues, Mercedes had to finish the season with just one win, that too by George Russell‘s courtesy. With this, the nightmare that Wolff would have never imagined came true.
Coming to the solution, one must have suspected the need to throw the W13 in the garbage. But instead of rejecting the sidepod concept of the 2022 car, Mercedes is bringing it back. Rather than a revolution, the Silver Arrows is trying to bring an evolution. However, he has claimed that W14 will be entirely different and stronger underneath.
When the Auto motor Und Sport asked Wolff about the New Mercedes project, he said, “If you know where to start, revolution is not necessary.” Toto explained that, in general, stability and a “safe environment” is what are enormously important for staying in Formula One. And Mercedes is a master of being consistent. “This is what made the team learn faster in 2022,” said Toto Wolff.
Mercedes Ready To Copy Another Car’s Look, If Needed!
However, just as all fans and Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, demand a changed car in 2023, Mercedes is looking forward to it. Toto Wolff revealed his conversation with the stakeholder who explained the concept of the car. When the stakeholder asked him if Mercedes is changing the concept, Wolff asked what the meaning of the concept is. If it means changing the looks of the car, like the narrow or wider boxes. Or the architectural difference in weight distribution, then there are no such plans. However, Toto Wolff admitted, “If Mercedes will have to something that looked like another car. Then without a doubt, we would do it.”
According to the Austrian, at the moment, Mercedes is undergoing the processes that take place under the bodywork. He is hoping that the bodywork of W14 to bring a better performance in 2023. However, Toto Wolff has admitted that the wrong path that led Mercedes to finish the 2022 season so drastically has been figured out.
And this is something that can’t be changed just in a day. “It will need many months of lead time,” he said. Same as after a certain amount of time and effort, Mercedes did good in Austin, better in Mexico, and best in Brazil. They will do good in the 2023 season. But this time, from Bahrain itself, they will start improving.
