Mercedes F1 team boss Toto Wolff says the design of rival F1 teams will “definitely” take inspiration, but “there is no need for a revolution”.
Earlier this month, Wolff said the W14, Mercedes’ F1’s 2023 car which is trying to turn its fortunes around last year’s troubled season, would be “full of surprises”.
Aesthetically, the Mercedes W14 is not expected to stray from last season’s Silver Arrows, but under the body, there are things like chronic porpassing issues that have greatly affected the design of Grand Effect 2022. Large-scale changes are expected to solve
It remains to be seen whether Mercedes F1 will retain the impressive ‘sidepod zero’ concept that has characterized last year’s F1 cars. However, Toto Wolff has confirmed that the team’s engineers are not making any major revolutions when it comes to the design of the 2023 F1 car.
“There is no need for a revolution if we know where to start,” he told Toto Wolff’s Auto Motor und Sport.
“In general, stability and a safe environment are very important in Formula 1. That is exactly our strength. That’s why we learned faster in 2022.”
“We already think we have to change some things that we know are not working. We have spoken to our shareholders.”
“He asked us, ‘Are you going to change the concept?’ And my answer was, ‘What do you mean by concept?’ Or is it the difference in architecture, weight distribution and aerodynamic windows?
“We have no sanctuary. Questioning everything incessantly.”
Red Bull’s RB18 was top notch last season. Mercedes has always taken the lead on the design side, but if the engineers see a concept worth repeating, they don’t hesitate to implement it, says Toto Wolff. .
“If I had to do something similar to other cars, I would definitely do it. At the moment everything is going in the direction it is being done under the body.”
“It could help us perform better again, and I hope it will.”
Mercedes F1 was rescued from a winless run last season by George Russell’s flawless victory at the Brazilian Grand Prix. But Russell’s victory has a special meaning for the team and for the future, says Toto Wolff.
“It was certainly of triumphant importance in confirming our direction of development,” said Wolff.
“I believe we understood before the summer where we went wrong.”
“It’s not something that can be changed overnight. It takes months of lead time.”
“There was a clear positive trend on the track where the car configuration and aerodynamics were good. It was already good in Austin and Mexico, and even better in Brazil.”
“With the win, we also cleared this item on the list. Nobody can say Mercedes couldn’t win the race in 2022. And we didn’t just win the race, we won the sprint, we also got 1st and 2nd in the Grand Prix, so that weekend was no fluke.”
“If we had made fewer mistakes or performed a bit more, we probably would have won a few more races.”
Category: F1 / mercedes
