© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says Mercedes’ Imola upgrade is “almost like a reset to what would have been a good start 12 months ago”.
After the first race of the 2023 season, Mercedes decided to head in a different development direction with their car.
The first steps of this new direction will be unveiled next weekend at Imola, and the team already promised the W14 will receive new suspension parts and bodywork, among other things.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff sheds more light on what can be expected.
“I think what we’re trying to do with the upgrade is to create a new baseline for us to take question marks and variables out of the equation, and to say ‘This is not a problem now that we have gone to a different spec’ and that is, for example, front suspension,” the Austrian said in Miami.
“We are also looking at bodywork solutions that are, let’s say, more conventional than others, that will create a different airflow.
“It’s almost like a reset to what would have been a good start 12 months ago, and then to try to add performance to the car. But at the moment it’s just the lack of understanding.”
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Toto then points out that the car lacks stability, which is difficult on the drivers.
“I don’t believe in miracles. But I think that the stability of the car and the predictability for the drivers is sub-par.
“If you believe to sort that out, helped by a front suspension redesign, then that’s definitely a good avenue and this could be more than a tenth or two on lap time, but the aerodynamic package brings more from simply unlocking more drivability and pace.”
Ultimately Wolff warns not to expect any sudden leaps in performance.
“No other car should be moving forward immediately, but we know what we want to deliver in terms of aerodynamic performance, and hopefully also better behaviour of the car,” he concluded.
