For the 2023 Formula One season, Mercedes wasn’t able to create a car that could win the championship. However, they did manage to exceed fans’ expectations in one way: by consistently failing to deliver on promises of good results. As a result, team principal Toto Wolff has made a disappointing announcement about the upcoming life-saving upgrade for Mercedes. The team is now attempting to find a balance in managing expectations.
Ass the boss mentioned, “I am managing everybody’s expectations,” he said. But how is he doing that? By keeping a low target already. By claiming that no one needs to expect a Red Bull Vs. Mercedes fight even after the upgrade of the W14 in Imola. Wolff wants to be clear about how good the result of the upgrade is going to be. So far, the team has made several upgrades to the W14 car. But none of them has been worthwhile. However, the actual time for the most awaited upgrade was always the IMOLA weekend. And fans are awaiting to see what magical upgrade Mercedes can bring to return in the lead.
Although Wolff made it clear that despite the constant talks of the upgrade, “Mercedes is not going to put things down on the track and drive circles around Red Bull.” After the first sprint of the season and after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Toto Wolff realized that Red Bull was pushing that day! Over the 40 laps of racing, they made half a second lap and no doubt it is a long way to go.
What Will Mercedes do? Toto Wolff Explains Some Options He Has
Mercedes has two cars sailing off into the sunset on merit. Speaking of the solutions to get out of this drastic situation, Toto Wolff points out two things. One is to do a better job. Being together as a team, face it, and get through it. Or change the regulations. The second option sounds unrealistic, right? Yes, it does, not only to us but also to Wolff. So he better goes with the first one. Therefore, now Mercedes is trying to be more clever! An intelligent play might get them through this challenging phase.
If you have watched the Azerbaijan Grand Prix closely, you may have noticed how great Red Bull is doing. Sergio Perez, the winner of the race, was 46 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who finished sixth, the lowest this season. Curreantly, the Mercedes star is lacking 45 points in leading the championship standings. It has been really the bad days for both Mercedes and Hamilton, who stepped into the W14 with hopes of winning his eighth world championship.
Nevertheless, the weekend was a kind of reality check for Max Verstappen. The driver who broke the record for most race wins last year has been facing Perez as the biggest obstacle. No shock if Perez prevents Max Verstappen from claiming the Hattrick championship win. He is still 6 points behind the two-time world champion, but everyone saw that he was two seconds ahead of Max in Baku. And everyone knows that Checo can remain ahead of Verstappen in the upcoming races by major seconds.