Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is still waiting for his team’s first win this season. The former champions had a few P2 finishes, but Red Bull’s car has been a bit too fast to let them win a single race so far. It has been twelve races but still no luck. But Mercedes keeps on introducing new upgrades.
Albeit, the young Mercedes driver, George Russell, mentioned that the goal is still to get a win after the summer break. However, it is a question of why Russell has not been able to perform as well as his teammate this year. Lately, Toto Wolff has given his view on why Russell has not performed as well as his teammate this year.
Toto Wolff Shares His View Why George Russell Facing More Difficulty To Drive W14 Than Lewis Hamilton
Last year, George Russell was able to beat Lewis Hamilton in his debut season for Mercedes. The media, including PlanetF1, asked Toto Wolff whether the W14 car suits Lewis Hamilton’s driving style more than it suits Russell’s. In reply, Mercedes’ boss mentioned that the car has no sweet spot. The billionaire executive added that W14 is on knife’s edge that makes a driver fall off if he loses confidence in the car. But Toto Wolff suggested if a driver can be on the side where he understands the car better, it will make certain differences. The understanding and confidence in the car will make the driver get more performance out of it.
But the Mercedes boss cannot deny the W14 car is not going to help them challenge the reigning champions. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton got a few P2 finishes along with a pole position this year. But George Russell has only got a P3 finish this year in the Spanish Grand Prix. Other than that, the young British driver had a few DNFs. Although he had a pretty good start to the season. In the first few races, he was doing well but could not get a podium. Even George Russell mentioned that it had been a season of halves for him. The first six races gave him confidence, but the latter six saw him miss several opportunities.
Mercedes Using 2023 Season To Understand Their Car And Make It Better For 2024
This year, the Brackley team has been using the car as a means to understand what they need to do to get in the right direction. At first, they realized they could not carry on with the zero-side pod concept anymore. They need a car with side pods like Red Bull, McLaren, and Aston Martin. That’s what they got in the Monaco Grand Prix. Along with side pods, Mercedes introduced front and floor suspensions.
Later in Silverstone, Toto Wolff’s team introduced a new front wing to help W14 around the slow-speed corners. But still, Mercedes is struggling with their rear end. It has been an issue causing them problems with the car throughout the year. But the team’s CTO, Mike Elliot, mentioned in the ongoing summer break that they would keep pushing the car to its limit. However, they have started to prioritize on the following year’s car.
