Mercedes lost 9 months to compensate for its design error
Mercedes has been through a rough patch this season. The German team had to deal with a single-seater with major aerodynamic problems. Many months were lost trying to solve them. A catastrophic situation which Toto Wolf was keen to explain.
Mercedes has made significant progress since the beginning of the 2022 season and can now compete at the forefront. The Stuttgart-based company has focused its efforts on resolving the aerodynamic issues related to the “porpoising” (porpoising) of the W13. The accumulated delay by the German team is significant, and Toto Wolff does not have high ambitions for the 2023 season.
(I) I am never confident. I always see the glass as half empty. There is really nothing positive to see. I just heard that Red Bull has won nine races in a row. So, there is no reason to get excited because we finished second and fourth at the Mexican Grand Prix,” he declares.
However, despite this complicated situation, the Stuttgart firm does not give up and continues its intensive development in order to regain the path to victory and wants to compete for the title.
We have a lot of catching up to do. We have the winter to do so. I think we are developing the car well. Some things we find represent a bigger step forward than just adding a few support notches. But we are giving everything we have, and more, to get back into a position to fight for a title.
During an interview given to Motorsport, the team director of Mercedes speaks about Red Bull’s impressive performances throughout the 2022 season. The significant domination of the Austrian team does not leave him indifferent and is an additional source of motivation for Mercedes, which aims to return to the top of the leaderboard.
« They certainly have an advantage.
« … we think we understand where the gap comes from. As I said, they will keep a part of the charm of their car, and we may have lost eight to ten months of development because we couldn’t figure out what was wrong. »
He doesn’t focus solely on Mercedes’ current form and projects himself onto his team’s ability to perform in the long term.
« So it is definitely a challenge. All of us – the two pilots, the team – we are playing for the long term. The team and its performances cannot be judged based on just one weekend, or even one year, but on how we have been able to win championships in the long run.
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