© Stephen Reuss for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Lewis Hamilton says if you put a McLaren “alongside a Red Bull, it looks very, very similar”, and Toto Wolff vows to “leave no stone unturned”, because “another team just found a second in performance”.
McLaren has seemingly significantly improved its 2023 car – the MCL60. The improved performance was evident at British Grand Prix Qualifying, where Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri qualified in P2 and P3 respectively.
After the session, Hamilton pointed out that their car is looking very similar to the Red Bull RB19.
“It’s not a blow, it’s just a wake-up call for us,” the Briton said.
“Others have overtaken us and we need to do more.
“I’m not surprised. I mean, if you look at the car, it makes sense and I’m really happy for them, they’ve had such a bad run for so long. So to be back up there, it’s really great to see.
“If you just put it alongside a Red Bull, it looks very, very similar down the side, so it’s working. It’s great, we now have another team up in the mix which is what we want to see in this sport.
“They had the edge on us in the last race so I anticipate tomorrow will be the same.”
If you like SilverArrows.Net, consider supporting us by buying us a coffee!
When Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was asked about Hamilton’s comments, he said Mercedes perhaps needs to rethink the design of the W14.
“I think from what you see from the outside, which is obviously only half the information, the car looks like a Red Bull,” the Austrian said.
“And as a matter of fact, to be honest, it doesn’t matter, because only the stopwatch counts.
“And this is what I guess Lewis was referring to, that this kind of design seems to be a good direction, but this is easier said than done.
“I think each of us had bodyworks that were perfectly good in the tunnel and it didn’t come out in performance.
“So you’ve got to leave no stone unturned and maybe look at it again, because another team just found a second in performance,” Wolff concluded.
