Mercedes began the 2023 Formula One season on an underwhelming note. At Bahrain itself, the team knew they had messed up big time by sticking to flawed concepts on W13 while designing the brand new W14. The struggles were visible since day one as the Brackley-based team remained clueless in the paddock.
However, Mercedes gathered themselves quickly and started to produce upgrade packages back in the factory in Brackley. Those packages were introduced in the upcoming race weekends, which generated performance in the W14. However, it was not enough to chase the flying Red Bull at the front of the grid. Nevertheless, team principal Toto Wolff is pleased with the progress and shed light on the future incoming projects.
Toto Wolff Confirms Major Upgrade Pieces Are Coming Through!
To curb the loss of performance, Mercedes introduced its first set of upgrade packages in Monaco and witnessed short-term differences. More packages came through in the following weekends, which made W14 good enough to secure podiums on multiple occasions. But the prized win is still way out of their reach. Regardless, team principal Toto Wolff believes they have managed to close the performance gap with Red Bull. He said that during the Dutch Grand Prix if it wasn’t for the flawed strategic calls, the Silver Arrows stood a real chance at a win. Having said that, Wolff reviewed the upgrades so far and is happy with the breakthrough they had with the wind tunnel.
Toto Wolff said that with the reset, they gained performance through the wind tunnel. But at the same time, the reset resulted in a certain level of loss in the downforce. Regardless, the data proves that Mercedes are, in fact, headed in the right direction. How many of these claims hold true in the future, only time will tell. But one thing is certain: the Silver Arrows have indeed made progress since the Bahrain Grand Prix. While it’s still not good enough to catch up to the Red Bulls, it is certainly enough to hold onto the second place in the constructors championship. Having said that, Ferrari and McLaren have also covered ground after the Summer Break and pose a direct threat to the Brackley-based team. But Wolff has an antidote to neutralize that threat.
Mercedes To Bring In More Upgrades To W14 Later This Year!
To neutralize the imminent threat from rivals, Mercedes have devised a fresh upgrade package. Team principal Toto Wolff confirmed the same. “The pieces are coming. They’ve already been produced or are going to get produced,” said Wolff. While the team has closed the wind tunnel for this year, a big change is incoming. Moreover, the Austrian did not rule out the chances of innovation.
“In some things, we may be going to be more conventional, where we might have gone the wrong way before. For other things, we will add what we learned, said Toto Wolff. The team principal’s words look promising. But whether or not that team will be able to convert it to the ground, only time will tell. Overall, the 2023 F1 season will certainly witness a thrilling finish.
