Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is not one of those people who easily give up on things. Instead, he likes to keep fighting and keep getting better. That’s what Wolff says his team would do this season. Since the opening race in Bahrain, the Brackley team knew that they were a lot behind Red Bull. That’s why they made the goal to close the gap between them and their rivals as much as possible. But as the season is progressing, it is getting harder to catch up to Red Bull. Despite bringing new upgrades, Mercedes has not been able to beat Red Bull or Max Verstappen. Sir Lewis Hamilton got a P3 finish in Silverstone.
Later in Hungary, the seven-time champion secured his first pole position since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. In F1 history, nobody has had more pole positions than Hamilton. But it took more than a year and a half to get a pole position for the legend. However, the great Briton could not convert it into a race win. In fact, Lewis Hamilton could not even get a podium in Hungary. The two Red Bull drivers and McLaren’s Lando Norris got to the podium. On the other hand, Hamilton had to settle for a P4 finish. Hence, the questions are raised if Toto Wolff and his team are already planning to shift their focus on the 2024 car, W15. In reply, Mercedes’ boss expressed his desire never to give up.
Toto Wolff Suggests A Lot Of Changes Coming W15’s Way
Recently, Toto Wolff revealed to Speedcafe, “I don’t like to give up on any season. We will keep fighting.” Apparently, he is taking McLaren’s progress as an inspiration. As he says that they must keep working and try to bring out the W14’s potential. Moreover, Wolff believes Aston Martin was able to get the best performance from their car in the winter like McLaren is able to do now. Hence, there is no reason for Mercedes to give up. But Toto Wolff suggests that the team is noting every little change down they must make with the W15 car next year. The Brackley team must be ready to make a lot of changes. According to Toto Wolff, Norris, and Perez were only four and two seconds faster, respectively, than Hamilton in Hungary.
However, the pace of Max Verstappen is what concerns them the most. The Dutchman was 39 seconds faster than Hamilton. He is just getting better with every race. Although Wolff has faith in the way his team operates and analyzes what concepts of other teams they should adopt or not. But Mercedes is not planning to leave any stone unturned. Unlike Christian Horner, rival Toto Wolff does not like complaining or bemoaning the rival’s dominance. He believes in meritocracy and entertainment before the sport. Hence, he has no problem accepting the greatness of the Red Bull car and the champion driver.
Max Verstappen Is Not The Only Threat To Mercedes Anymore
The only driver to beat Verstappen this season so far is his teammate Sergio Perez. The Mexican was successful in beating the current double-time champion twice this year. But for other teams, Max has been way too fast. Only McLaren’s Lando Norris came the closest to Verstappen’s speed back in Silverstone. The Red Bull ace was only 3.7 seconds faster than Lando Norris in the British Grand Prix.
Hence, new threats are emerging as Mercedes keeps falling further behind. The new upgrades they brought in since the Monaco Grand Prix sure made some difference. Mercedes got some podium finishes. They got their first and only double podium so far in the Spanish Grand Prix. Later, for the British Grand Prix, Mercedes introduced a new front wing to help W14 gain speed around the slow-speed corners.