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Mercedes chief Toto Wolff believes the new upgrades on the W14 are encouraging compared to where they were last year. Speaking to on-site media at the Monaco Grand Prix weekend, the Austrian felt the upgrades have given their car a good platform to build upon.
Assessing the upgrades on the W14, Wolff said:
“It’s so difficult [to assess] because we were in the mix with Aston Martin and with Ferrari, I would say. On a positive note, maybe encouraging because we have never been really good here. We have been three tenths behind pole. Last year was six tenths, the car was awful last year and this time around the drivers said it’s not good. So, there’s a step in description."
Wolff added:
"But we really need to be careful. We’ve got to go to Barcelona, collect more data. It’s a new baseline. I don’t expect us clearing Aston Martin and Ferrari there either. It is more about understanding what does this car do now and how do we need to set it up?”
Wolff explained that the upgrades on the Mercedes W14 are a matter of development and setting the car up properly.
While Lewis Hamilton said the feeling of the car had improved, George Russell claims they will be adding more updates to the car in Barcelona. Assessing the upgrades in Monaco, the Austrian team boss felt that the new upgrades are definitely an improvement from 2022. Last season, a majority of their car development was hampered by porpoising and bouncing.
Wolff believes they have provided a good base platform for Mercedes to improvise their performance further. The Brackley squad had brought a new front suspension, revised floor, and new side pod designs to Monaco.
Toto Wolff feels Mercedes upgrades will have a slow growth curve
Mercedes’ 2022 campaign was hampered by development issues but their 2023 campaign has been slightly better. Being realistic about their development curve, Toto Wolff feels the growth will be a slow and gradual process. With Monaco being a street circuit, the Mercedes chief felt it was difficult to judge the benefits of the upgrades.
Further assessing the upgrades in Monaco, Wolff said:
“We’re really good at grinding away once we decide the development direction. Even with the old package that wasn’t great – it was terrible at the beginning of the season – we managed to win a race in Interlagos in a very dominant way. So, we’re going to get there. Here, it’s mainly ride and low-speed downforce. You don’t see that on many other tracks."
He added:
"So, we’re coming to more mid- and high-speed corners, proper racetracks. It should be good. I think we’ve been better in FP1 actually and FP2 than the rest of the weekend. The more the track grips in, the less performant we are. It’s really a lot of learning at the moment because everything is new. We’ve got to just collect the data and set the car up.”
While Mercedes will be bringing more upgrades to Spain, their rivals Ferrari and Aston Martin are also expected to heavily upgrade their cars.
With Aston Martin being the closest to closing the gap to Red Bull, the Silver Arrows are not expected to challenge the top three spots of the race immediately. However, the Spanish GP in Barcelona will be a better indicator of their progress and development of the W14.
