Mercedes is looking for redemption. They have had a couple of terrible seasons back to back. Last year, the Silver Arrows won a single Grand Prix. It was George Russell who won in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton came second as the German team had their only one-two finish last season. Moreover, Russell won his maiden GP in his debut season for Toto Wolff’s team.
However, last year, Hamilton and Russell struggled because of the bouncing trouble. But this year was different as Mercedes reduced the bouncing as much as possible. Perhaps a complete change of car concept can help them get on the right track. Lately, the Mercedes boss told the media, including RacingNews365, that they plan to change the concept.
Wolff Feels Changing The Car Concept Is The Only Way To Bounce Back
Moreover, Toto Wolff told the media that they were taking a different route on how to build the chassis. Adding to that, he said laying out the weight distribution as well as the airflow is as crucial as the chassis. But more importantly, Toto Wolff believes changing every component is the only way they can have a chance to bounce back next season. However, the Mercedes boss fears that they might get it wrong yet again. Moreover, one thing Toto Wolff revealed about himself is that he is mostly never optimistic. Even the Mercedes boss himself said that it sounded a bit miserable.
But Toto Wolff feels skepticism is essential for the team to push each other and never give up. Moreover, Wolff said a lack of optimism helped him manage his expectations and keep pushing harder. Hence, the Mercedes boss feels it is never good enough. Moreover, it has been really bad in the past two years for the former champions. Mercedes truly had an epic fall from dominance in the last two years. It feels weird to realize that this team dominated the grid for eight years in a row just two years back. Hence, Toto Wolff was just sitting in Abu Dhabi with a bittersweet feeling that they finished at P2 but not P1.
Mercedes Need To Take Care Of The Downforce Issue
However, W14 was not that luckier than W13 as it remained winless. At least the Silver Arrows were able to win a race last year. But Lewis Hamilton said this year the car felt better with new upgrades. Albeit, both years, Hamilton remained winless. On the other hand, their rival, Red Bull, went on to achieve some other level of dominance. Hence, the goal for next year is to close the gap between them and Red Bull as much as possible. But it will be a challenging route for Mercedes.
Moreover, they have realized that the zero side pod concept was a major mistake. Now, they plan to change the whole setup ahead of the next season. Moreover, Lewis Hamilton complained a lot about the downforce issue the whole year. Hence, the Brackley team must take care of that issue before the next championship begins. Since the new era of cost cap began, Mercedes fell from the throne.