What are Toto Wolff's expectations from the Mercedes upgrade package at the 2023 F1 Monaco GP?

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is not looking at the new upgrade package as the silver bullet that instantly solves anything. The team has been struggling with a completely different car concept than it gambled with last season. Using the no-sidepod concept and being the only one to experiment with it has meant that the team has hit a roadblock.

As a result, there is a change in the car concept that has been in the works since the start of the season. The major upgrade package that was scheduled to be introduced in Imola will now be introduced in Monaco. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, however, does not expect the upgrade to cure everything with the car.

On the contrary, he expects the Mercedes upgrade package to help give the team a better baseline to work with. Talking to OE24, Wolff said:

“Of course we would have liked to see how we were doing with the new car. When you completely revamp a car, you want to know what the upgrade package can do. Unfortunately, that won’t happen any time soon. But I’m hoping for a step forward."

He continued:

"We had to react to Red Bull’s superiority. Because we couldn’t find a solution to make the old car fast at the front or rear, we rebuilt the underbody, bodywork and front wheel suspension.”

He added:

“There are no miracles in Formula 1. We won’t go half a second faster now, but hopefully we’ll have fewer problems and can continue to work with a competitive car. So far it has been too stiff and stubborn.”

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Mercedes upgrade package intrigues Damon Hill

F1 Grand Prix of Miami

Damon Hill has been admittedly intrigued by the Mercedes upgrade package, especially considering the hype around it. Talking about it during the F1 Nation podcast, Hill said:

“We’re expecting a huge amount, especially if they talk about the sidepod, because that’s been the big bone of contention over the last two years – why do their sidepods look so different to everyone else? And then you have the people at Mercedes saying, ‘Well that’s actually a small part of the aero package, and you’re making too much of it’. But there’s got to be something in it.”

Everyone in the paddock will be keeping a keen eye on what is in store, as both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have already admitted that they're looking forward to what the upgrade package could bring.

Can the German team bounce back? If it is able to do that, it would make things very interesting.