SUMMARY
- Mercedes acknowledges setbacks in China, plans significant upgrades for Miami Grand Prix.
- Toto Wolff admits to experimental setup errors affecting Lewis Hamilton's performance, aims for Miami improvements.
Mercedes finds itself in an uncharacteristically precarious position following a lackluster performance at the Chinese Grand Prix. 7x champion Lewis Hamilton had to endure failure to qualify for Q2 and subsequent ninth-place finish underscored the struggles of the team. Team boss Toto Wolff acknowledged these shortcomings during a Sky Sports F1 interview.
Wolff identified flaws in car pace and revealed plans to introduce significant upgrades for the upcoming Miami Grand Prix. He expressed cautious optimism that these modifications would enhance the competitiveness of the car. The Shanghai race exposed Silver Arrows’ vulnerability, with both cars failing to keep pace with the top league teams like Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren.
Toto Wolff on Miami upgrades for Mercedes W15 post China challenges
Lewis Hamilton finished a distant P9, while teammate George Russell secured a modest sixth-place finish. In his post-race debrief with the media personnel, Wolff admitted to the team’s subpar performance in Shanghai. He acknowledged that some experimental setup changes on Hamilton’s car brought about some negative results, hindering his performance throughout the race in China.
📰: “We have something coming for Miami, which looks like a good step”
Toto Wolff discusses the forthcoming upgrades for Mercedes.#F1 #ChineseGP
— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) April 21, 2024
According to the Austrian team boss, “I think considering where we put the cars altogether, drivers and team, was not a good position for today. Not good enough overall. Lacking pace. We have got to dig deep. We have got something coming for Miami that looks like a good step, let’s see where that brings us out. It’s not an OK car. We can see what the mistakes are on the car.”
Wolff further added, “We wanted to go a bit more aggressive to see if it was something so different we needed to do on that car and you can see Lewis today took it on him, that was maybe a step too far.” Despite these setbacks, a sense of hope persists within the Mercedes garage. The prospect of the Miami upgrades has led to a renewed sense of optimism. Wolff and Hamilton expressed their excitement for their improved capabilities in the US.
George Russell demands change from Toto Wolff ahead of Miami GP
Not even five races into the 2024 season, Silver Arrows is raising red flags. Their young star driver, Russell, has made a strong plea for a return to the foundations to save their hopes of winning a championship from entirely crumbling. The Silver Arrows are now mired in fourth place, an extended contrast from their usual power.
Mercedes plans to introduce updates for the Miami Grand Prix.
George Russell emphasizes a ‘back to basics’ approach, emphasizing the importance of maximizing downforce and addressing limitations afterward.
He stated, “We’ve changed philosophies and we’ve changed concepts quite… pic.twitter.com/X5mXBddmCI
— F1 News (@octagram_f1) April 22, 2024
The distance between the top league teams is growing at a startling rate. Ferrari had a comfortable lead of 99 points, while Red Bull has taken a dominant lead. The 26-year-old driver stated, “We’ve had two different set-ups this weekend, both of which produced very similar lap times and performance. So, the work needs to be back at the factory, and ultimately in F1, the more downforce you have, the faster you’ll go.”
The root cause of this unexpected series of poor performance lies with the temperamental W15 car. Even McLaren, a team they have defeated time and time again in recent years, has an enormous edge. Anticipation for the season has faded as the crew struggles with the same kind of issues that plagued their past rivals: a failure to deliver a consistent level of competence.