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Mercedes chief Toto Wolff believes that Baku will offer plenty of opportunities to capitalize on and that the team will be strong at the venue. The Austrian feels that the team needs to maximize every possible opportunity at an unpredictable race venue like Baku.
Speaking in a team preview about his expectations from the weekend, Wolff said:
“We head to Baku refreshed after a hectic Monaco weekend full of red flags, delays and changeable weather. We scored solid points, but more was possible over the weekend, and we need to be maximising every opportunity we can to stay in the fight. Baku often produces some fun and crazy track action, and the layout generates good racing opportunities. So, let’s see if it lives up to its reputation this weekend.”
According to the Mercedes team principal, the street circuit often provides plenty of opportunities and drama in the race. Last year, Lewis Hamilton had an unfortunate moment when he went off at Turn 1 and finished 15th in a race where his title rival Max Verstappen retired due to a tire blowout. Toto Wolff believes that there will be plenty of opportunities this year as well and the team can try its best to capitalize on the drama over the weekend.
Mercedes reveals it is analyzing the previous two race weekends to make progress
Toto Wolff revealed that the Brackley squad has been analyzing data from the last two race weekends to improve its package for the next few races. While Mercedes has made progress in the last two races, its team principal said that the factory team was working hard on pushing improvements for the upcoming races.
Commenting on the last two race weekends, Wolff said:
“As in Barcelona, the slow-speed corners of Monaco presented the W13 a tough challenge but also provided us with valuable learning. With another street circuit in Baku up next, the team has been working flat-out to analyse those two races and identify the areas we can innovate to push us forward.”
In Barcelona, Mercedes seemed as though it had found most of the answers to its problems. It also claimed to have resolved its porpoising issues. However, it struggled once again at Monaco, hence, Baku could be seen as a litmus test for the German team.
Catch the team at the Azerbaijan GP on Sunday, June 12, 2022.
