Toto Wolff convinced by the latest improvements of the W14

Mercedes has made significant progress. The German team arrived at the United States Grand Prix with new improvements. The floor of the W14 has been reworked, which allowed Lewis Hamilton to achieve good results, with two second places (before his disqualification in Austin). George Russell has encountered a bit more difficulties, finishing fifth and sixth since the introduction of the updates. However, the pace shown by Hamilton has been encouraging for the team.

The team principal, Toto Wolff, expressed his satisfaction with the progress made on the W14, although there are still areas of the car that need to be perfected. “I think it provides more downforce, more durability, and the car is still a little less delicate,” explained Wolff at a press conference. “Lewis told me that the car is still difficult to drive, even though it is faster. The philosophy was important to see that we are heading in the right direction for next year, and it seems to be on track. It appears that Mercedes is on the right path to continue improving its performance in Formula 1, although additional adjustments are needed to perfect the car.”

A well-optimized development

Mercedes has worked extensively on the development of its race car. During the first Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain, the two British drivers finished 5th and 7th after a difficult race. The concept of zero sidepod had not worked and was immediately abandoned after qualifying. In Monaco, the race cars were heavily reworked, and the improvements were noticeable in the following race in Spain. The team achieved two podium finishes, just behind Max Verstappen. The latest substantial improvements were made in Austin. “You shouldn’t forget that the car we designed didn’t have the correct airflow, sidepods or leading edges, and all the Christmas decorations around the design that we currently have,” explained Toto Wolff. “The more upgrades you have on the car and the more data you gather, the better you can fine-tune it.”

Following this optimization, Mercedes seems to have passed McLaren again. The Oranges had made significant improvements right from the beginning of the second half of the season. These developments allowed McLaren to achieve several podium finishes and even surpass Mercedes in terms of performance. However, the W14 seems to have regained the advantage over the English team. “I don’t want to set too high expectations for Brazil because it was somewhat of a surprise that we dominated the weekend last year,” said the Mercedes director. “We are going there knowing that we have a good car and if we get everything in order, then we can have a very good weekend.”

Mercedes is 2nd in the constructor standings and has a 22-point lead over Ferrari, who is in 3rd place.