The Mercedes F1 team has been going through a rough phase as they cannot fix their car. The team struggled last year because of severe porpoising issues and no side pods. Moreover, fans expected to see side pods this year. But Mercedes gave them a shocker as they followed the same concept just like the previous year. Clearly, it was a flawed concept that cost the team some crucial points early in the current season.
At the pre-season testing in Bahrain this year, the Silver Arrows’ drivers complained about the rear downforce. The balance was also not proper. Lewis Hamilton even complained about the seat positioning that was not making him feel comfortable at all. Hence, the team implemented new upgrades to the W14 car in Monaco. And after driving the revamped W14 car, Lewis Hamilton was happy about it as he said, “The car feels good.” On top of that, Mercedes had a successful outing in Barcelona, Spain as well. But the Mercedes boss does not hope for a similar successful outing in the Canadian Grand Prix next weekend. Why is that?
Toto Wolff Says The Montreal Track Is Not Suitable For W14 Car
The Brackley-based team secured a double podium with the brand-new Mercedes W14 in the Spanish Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton finished at P2, while George Russell at P3. This success boosted the Mercedes team’s morale greatly. However, boss Toto Wolff has made it clear that the upcoming race weekend in Montreal is not going to be easy for the team. As he mentioned, “I don’t expect any heroic displays from Hamilton or Russell in the Canadian Grand Prix.” Apparently, Mercedes had a tough time in Canada last year as well, as their engine broke down. Wolff revealed that the Barcelona track was much more suitable for Mercedes cars, but the track in Montreal will pose a number of obstacles for W14.
While discussing next weekend’s race with Motorsportweek, the Mercedes boss acknowledged that it depends on the tracks if the car can produce the best performance. In the Spanish Grand Prix, W14 was adapting really well to the track. However, in Montreal, it is going to be different. Hence, Toto Wolff asserted that “We should control our expectations. In Montreal, we should expect our competitors ahead of us.” According to him, street circuits like the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Monaco Grand Prix, and the next one in Montreal are not suitable for the W14 car. Moreover, the gap between Mercedes and their rival, Red Bull, is already big. But they are up for the challenge of closing it down.
Mercedes Will Work On The Improvements After The New Upgrades
Till now, the long straights and low-speed corners of the Canadian Grand Prix are not raising hopes. But the goal of the Mercedes team is to maximize whatever result they secured the last time. When the team is not expecting much from the next Grand Prix, the pace of the car would not matter. However, the Montreal track would provide a lot of scopes to understand the W14 car after its upgrades.
Moreover, they will find some crucial answers to the question; what can the team do to improve the upgrades? Albeit, they can’t add more upgrades to the car due to budget restrictions under the new cost cap laws. If the Brackley team exceeds the cost cap limit, they will have to pay a fine like their rivals did last year. Therefore, the Mercedes drivers will have to work on adapting to the W14 car to get the best performances out for the rest of the year.
