Are Mercedes actually improving in F1 2023? W14 “still a handful”

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff admits the W14 is “still a handful” despite their raft of upgrades in recent rounds.
Are Mercedes actually improving? W14 “still a handful”

Mercedes introduced a✤ revised front wing for the British Grand Prix earlier this month, while they ha𝐆ve been bringing regular upgrades to their car during the European run of races.

Desꦍpite this, Mercedes slipped behind McLaren in the pecking order at Silverstone, while Fe🐠rrari were quicker than them in Austria.

Remote video URL

The Hungarian Grand Prix this wee๊kend poses a different challenge, with its tight and twisty natu๊re aiding cars that perform better at low-speed.

Mercedes’ level of competitivene꧂ss is still unclear given that they struggled, relative to the opposition, in a range of⭕ cornering speeds.

Speaking after the Bri🔜tish GP,ℱ Wolff wasn’t too complimentary about this year’s W14.

“I think overall the car was not where we’ve seen it at Silveꦫrstone the last few years,” he said. “That was the track where we were really dominant and strong and the high-speed was not good at all, compared to our competitors in qualifying we were also struggling with traction on the exits. 

“Overall, the car remains to be a handful.”

George Russell (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W14. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 11, British Grand Prix, Silverstone, England,
George Russell (GBR) Mercedes AMG F1 W14. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 11, British Grand…

Wolff beli🍷eves the fight for P2 will 𒁏continue to swing back and forth depending on the track and upgrades.

൩“Whoever has performances that are track-specific, or due to an upgrade, they are able to just stay there at least,” he added. “Now we have the resurgence of McLaren, who were not competitive at the beginning of the year and that’s good to see. 

“🌺Because that means if you are taking the right decisions your car can jump up by a huge amount. On the other side, I don’t know what happened to Aston Martin and Ferrari, they made a step backwards. But overall, I think this result is no more than solid.”

Read More