Mercedes’ dismal performance not constrained by budget cap, claims Toto Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has claimed that F1's budget cap restrictions are not the reason behind their slow start to the 2023 season in Bahrain.

The German team finished behind Red Bull, Ferrari, and Aston Martin in pure race pace at P5 and P7, with Lewis Hamilton ahead of George Russell.

After the race, Wolff suggested that the team might make radical changes to the W14. He told RacingNews365:

"It's extremely difficult to catch such an advantage [to Red Bull], but it's what we need to do. We have no choice. I'm not sure the budget cap really gives you constraints in the position where we are in because we just need to decide which direction we're going and put all the resources behind it.

"I don't think we're constrained by the budget cap. We're not going to develop two cars side-by-side, but we're going to develop one car and we will decide in the next days and weeks which car that will be."

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“We are lacking a lot of downforce, and we've got a lot of work to do" - Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton recently said he knew that the team would face challenges after his first ride in the W14.

He told F1.com:

“Yeah, I knew from the moment I drove the car where we were and the challenges that we would be facing. On a positive note, not having the bouncing this year is a huge plus, and trying to understand what the problems were whilst having bouncing really masks so many of the [issues] – it makes it difficult to figure out what those are,”

Hamilton added:

“We are lacking a lot of downforce, and we've got a lot of work to do to add more to the car. As soon as we put more load on the front and rear, we will be able to pick up our pace. We've just got to keep working; we know we are not where we need to be. I've got to stay positive, keep my head up and keep pushing the team. I will be a positive light for them and get the best points I can."

It will be interesting to see how Mercedes employ the 'proposed' changes to make their car more competitive in the upcoming races of the 2023 season.