Mercedes: starting in May, 50% of the team will work on the 2014 car
In an interview given to the official Formula 1 website, Toto Wolff revealed that as of May, more than half of the Mercedes team's staff will be working on the future F1 W05. However, the Austrian maintains ambitions for titles in 2013.
If, from a regulatory point of view, the season 2014 will be a true revolution with the introduction of the V6 Turbo engine, the enhancement of energy recovery technologies and changes in aerodynamic regulations, it fits in continuity with previous seasons.
As a result, if it is customary to prepare for the next season even before the current year has ended, most of the teams are already intensively preparing for 2014. Thus, while at Red Bull, Adrian Newey revealed before the presentation of the RB9 that a small team was already working on the future RB10, and while Ferrari recalled Rory Byrne to work on the next car bearing the Prancing Horse, Mercedes is also busy with 2014: “We are already working on 2014 and we will gradually increase the share of staff working on next year’s car. I would say that by May, we will have reached the point where more than 50% of the team will be working on the car for 2014,” Toto Wolff said in an interview with the official Formula 1 website.
And the executive director of the Mercedes AMG team added: « There is no doubt that at some point during the summer, everyone will shift their main resources to the 2014 car as it is a very complex machine. Of course, it all depends on the standings in the championships. Those competing for the title will naturally focus a little longer on the current year’s car. »
The Austrian also hopes that Mercedes will be part of these teams and sets the goal of winning the title from /f1/actualite/14921-rory-byrne-travaille-sur-la-ferrari-de-2014.html: « [In November,] I want to be ahead of the top four teams in the constructors’ championship and also have a driver ahead of the top four. » However, while he is pleased with Mercedes’ promising start to the season, Toto Wolff recognizes that there is room for improvement: « If you look at our races so far, we have achieved two pole positions and finished third twice: this reflects a strong push forward thanks to our hard work. Yes, we need to consolidate our race results, but our two drivers, engineers, and mechanics are doing a great job and I think our priority today should be to better align all the elements, then we will get the results we want in the races. It’s nice to have a pleasant Saturday evening, but I would prefer to have a great Sunday evening. »
