© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
After a disappointing Miami Grand Prix Qualifying, Toto Wolff called the W14 “a nasty piece of work” and then discussed Mercedes’ big Imola upgrade package.
Mercedes did not have an easy time in Miami Grand Prix Qualifying. George Russell managed to qualify in P6, but Lewis Hamilton got eliminated in Q2, and will be starting the race from P13.
After the session, Toto Wolff was very critical of the team’s 2023 car.
“I think that the car is not a nice car, not a good car,” the Austrian said.
“It’s everywhere. It’s the pace, the performance of the car, it’s the lack of understanding of the car [regarding why] it is not delivering.
“It is the full spread of activities. I would say the performance is just really bad.
“It’s a lack of comprehension of what it is that makes this car such a nasty piece of work.”
Asked if the team expected such a bad performance in Miami, Toto said:
“No, it’s worse than I thought because we are 12 months on since we were last in Miami and the car is just marginally better.
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
“Maybe it is not bouncing on the straight but that is the only thing that is better than last year.
“The car is not fast enough, and we have no comprehension of why that it is between one session and the next. It is not acceptable.”
Mercedes is set to introduce a major upgrade for the car at Imola, and the team already said the bodywork of the W14 will completely change.
Wolff gave a bit more info on what the team is hoping to achieve with the upgrade.
“I think what we’re trying to do with the upgrade is to create a new baseline and for us to take question marks out of the equation and say, this is not the problem now that we have gone to a different concept.
“This is what is happening with the front suspension and we are looking at bodywork solutions that are more conventional than ours, and that are going to create a different airflow.
“For me, it’s almost like a reset to what would have been a good start 12 months ago, and then to try to add performance.”
