Toto Wolff is pleased with the recent progress at Mercedes, even if their latest results are uninspiring. The 52-year-old team principal believes that his technical department in Brackley now understands how to optimise the W15. There is a growing belief that the Silver Arrows know how to move their development forward.
Over the last two years, Mercedes’ trajectory has seen drastic fluctuations. Upgrades have been inconsistent, and promises based on simulator data have proven unreliable.
Because of these limitations, one of the German constructor’s customer teams, McLaren, is significantly outperforming its engine supplier. Overturning this deficit will be challenging, at least in the short term.
Despite the obstacles ahead, Toto Wolff is confident about the next W15 upgrades:
“We had an encouraging weekend in Monaco. We continue to make solid progress with our car, improving its overall balance and taking a step closer to those ahead.
“The progress is not yet showing in terms of positions, but if we continue to close the gap to the fastest cars, we know it will in due course.”
2024 Monaco Grand Prix, Friday – LAT Images
WOLFF: BOTH HAMILTON AND RUSSELL WILL RECEIVE UPDATES
Last time out in Monte Carlo, Lewis Hamilton said that teammate George Russell had an upgrade that was not yet available to him.
Toto Wolff has made clear that both drivers will have the latest version of the W15 in Canada:
“Both drivers will have the new front wing, and there will be some other development items for this event.
“The new front wing offered a small lap-time gain around the tight streets of the principality and should offer greater benefit on upcoming circuits.
“The front of the field is incredibly competitive. It has compressed, and we are under no illusions that others will continue to improve.
“We have to continue to work hard to get ourselves into the mix.”
Of course, this optimism is not worth anything if it does not materialise into concrete results.
With constraints like the budget cap and restricted wind tunnel hours, improvements are certainly not automatic in modern F1.
However, Mercedes will take inspiration from McLaren, who has demonstrated that rapid progress is possible. Now, it is time for James Allison to prove his technical team has a firm grasp of how to optimise the W15 and these ground-effect cars.
