Wolff sees ‘promising’ signs at Mercedes F1 factory

Toto Wolff has stated that Mercedes see ‘promising’ signs back at the factory as the team continues to try and extract performance from the W14.

Continuing their previous zero-pod concept, first introduced on Mercedes’ W13 championship contender, the team have evolved the design in the hope it will deliver the desired results.

The season hasn’t gotten off on the right foot after the first two opening rounds of 2023, in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

The team are currently tied up with second-placed Aston Martin, in third, on the same amount of points – 38 points – with the Silverstone outfit edging out the former world champions due to better results.

Mercedes currently lack the pace to fight for pole position but after the team out-paced both Ferrari’s in Saudi Arabia Wolff has seen ‘encouraging progress’ in their bid to return to the front.

“The progress we saw in Saudi Arabia was encouraging. We maximised the package we had and scored some solid points.

“More importantly, we continued to learn and understand more about the W14 and our development direction. Everyone back at base has been hard at work to turn these learnings into performance.”

Shifting the focus on the upcoming race weekend, the Australian Grand Prix, Wolff continued:

“The signs we are seeing back at the factory are promising. We have got to take it step by step, though, and won’t get carried away until we see performance translated into lap time on track.

“The competitive order behind Red Bull is tight, with small margins having a big effect on points scored. There remains a significant gap to the front and that is ultimately what we are interested in closing.”

Despite the promising signs, the sport will head to its next venue at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia. As such, the track comes with its own ‘unique characteristics’ but the team are looking to take as many points as they reasonably can.

“Albert Park is a circuit with unique characteristics, which we will have to work hard to adapt to with the W14.

“As always, we will look to maximise the car we have, and score as many points as our potential currently allows. We are not where we want to be – but that won’t stop us from racing hard and giving it everything we’ve got.”

That’s all for the article; Wolff sees ‘promising’ signs at Mercedes F1 factory!

What do you think, will Mercedes be able to fight at the front of the pack soon? Let us know in the comments!

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Alonso reinstated back to P3 after Saudi Arabia review
• Alonso slapped with 10 second penalty for serving penalty incorrectly
• LIVE: 2023 Saudi Arabia GP
• Live Coverage: F1 Saudi Arabia GP – Qualifying
• LIVE: Saudi Arabia GP – FP3
• Saudi Arabia GP: Verstappen remains on top after FP2

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.