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Mercedes has made a disappointing start to the 2023 Formula 1 season after seeing its record eight-year constructors’ title end in 2022; Watch the Saudi Arabian GP final practice live on Saturday at 1.30pm on Sky Sports F1
Last updated: 18/03/23 7:36
Toto Wolff says the Mercedes W14 car will look “very different” over the course of five to seven races after confirming the team is now focusing on its “design philosophy”.
After being caught out by the introduction of new design regulations last season and seeing eight consecutive constructors’ titles ended by Red Bull, Mercedes opted to stick with the same design philosophy for the 2023 Formula 1 season.
However, a poor performance at the season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain in early March prompted Wolff to admit that the team had made a mistake, and would take a different path, with speculation swirling about an alternative ‘Plan B’ car design.
Speaking specially for Sky Sports F1 after there was practice at the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia this weekend, Wolff provided an update on the team’s plans for the coming week.
He said: “The question is what do you mean by the Plan B car?
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Karun Chandhok takes a close look at Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes ahead of practice at the Saudi Arabian GP
“I think the car will look very different in five, six or seven races based on the decisions that have been made and the development direction that has been taken.”
As well as not being stuck under the radical new 2022 regulations, Wolff said Mercedes’ ability to recover from mistakes has been reduced by the sport’s cost cap, which comes into effect in 2021.
“We all voted to cover the cost of kicking with the goal of creating a higher pitch,” Wolff said.
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George Russell and Lewis Hamilton say they hope to ‘optimize’ their performance after a tough day in practice at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“We’re bitten, that’s clear at this stage, but I don’t want to say that the cost cap doesn’t allow us to go back – it’s harder, but we just have to.
“The moment we decide, which we have done, the direction to go, where we want to have the car, we just continue and push to carry out the design philosophy.”
‘Lauda wants us to copy other car designs’
Neither Wolff nor Mercedes’ British drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have given details on how the W14 will be modified, but the team leader has indicated that he believes moving to the Red Bull RB19 design is a “simple” choice.
Wolff was asked what former Mercedes chairman and three-time F1 world champion Niki Lauda, who played a key role in making the team a dominant force in the sport before his death in 2019, would suggest about the current situation.
Niki Lauda (L) was a big part of Mercedes’ success before his death in 2019
“I miss him a lot, but I miss him as my best friend,” Wolff said. “We all miss him as chairman.
“For Niki, it must have been very easy, because simplicity is the best decision and I know exactly what he is going to say.
“‘Our car looks very different, let’s make it like the others and optimize it. We have a good team, we have good technology and infrastructure, we can do better than the others, so why don’t we go ahead. with?
“It’s always very simple. You can always cut all the nonsense out, and in the end the simple decisions in life, which are often very instinctive decisions are added together with the data that supports people, and this is how Niki operates. Avoid complicated problems, get the basics correct.”
‘There’s a lot to learn from Aston Martin’
While Mercedes expected to start the season behind world champion Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, the fact that they were beaten by Aston Martin in Bahrain came as a major shock.
A key part of the Aston Martin car, which took Fernando Alonso to third behind the Red Bulls in Bahrain, was provided by Mercedes, making an impressive early season performance all the more dangerous for Wolff’s squad.
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Fernando Alonso overtook Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton before passing Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz to finish third at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Alonso’s second-place finish in the second practice in Saudi Arabia on Friday showed that Bahrain will not be the only one, but Wolff tried to take the positives and said he was happy to see team-mate and Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll succeed.
“Why help us, they have the back end of the car, the suspension, the engine, the gearbox – everything, so we know there are very good areas, so we don’t have to ask much. “said Wolff.
“But the other areas where the cars are different are where we need to focus – there’s a lot to learn.
“Lawrence has had many difficult years, and now the team is on the rise, they are successful, so we have to learn and not the other way around like many years.”
Formula 1 street racing is back! Watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Saturday’s qualifying and Sunday’s race are live at 5 p.m. Get Sky Sports
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