Toto Wolff: Mercedes boss says W14 ‘will look very different’ by midway through 2023 F1 season

Mercedes had a disappointing start to the 2023 Formula 1 season after seeing its eight-year constructors’ title streak come to an end in 2022; Watch the final practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live this Saturday at 1.30pm on Sky Sports F1

Toto Wolff says the Mercedes W14 will look “very different” sometime from five to seven races after ensuring the team is now focused on “one design philosophy”.

Having heeded the introduction of new design regulations last season and seeing a streak of eight consecutive constructors’ titles ended by Red Bull, Mercedes has chosen to stick to the same design philosophy for the 2023 Formula 1 season.

However, a poor performance in the season opener in Bahrain earlier in March led to Wolff admitting the team had made a mistake, and would take a different path, with speculation swirling about an alternative ‘Plan B’ car design.

speaking exclusively to Sky Sports F1 After training on Friday for the Saudi Grand Prix this weekend, Wolff has provided an update on the team’s plans for the coming weeks.

He said: The question is, what do you mean by the Pan B?

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Karun Chandhok takes a closer look at Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes before practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“I think the car is going to look very different in five, six or seven races depending on the decisions we’ve made and the direction of development we’ve embarked on.”

In addition to not being bogged down by the drastic new 2022 regulations, Wolff says Mercedes’ ability to recover from its mistakes has been reduced by the sport’s cost cap, implemented in 2021.

“We all voted in favor of a cost cap with the goal of creating a more level playing field,” Wolf said.

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George Russell and Lewis Hamilton say they hope to “maximize” their performance after another tough day in training for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“We’ve been bitten by that, that’s obvious at this point, but I don’t ever want to say the cost ceiling doesn’t allow us to make up for it again – it’s more difficult but we simply have to.

“The moment we decide, which we’ve done, which direction we’re going, where we want to get the car, we just go ahead and work hard with that design philosophy.”

“Lauda wants us to copy the design of other cars”

Neither Wolff nor British Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have given any details on how the W14 will change, but the team boss seemed to hint that he thinks moving towards Red Bull’s pace-setting RB19 design is a “simple” option.

Wolff was asked what former Mercedes boss and three-time world champion Niki Lauda, ​​who played a crucial role in establishing the team as the sport’s dominant force before his death in 2019, might have advised in their current situation.

Niki Lauda (left) was a huge part of Mercedes’ success before his death in 2019

“I miss him so much, but above all I miss him as a friend,” Wolfe said. “We all miss him as president.

“For Nicky, it would have been very simple, because simplicity is what drives you to the best decision and I know exactly what he was going to say.

“Our car looks completely different, let’s make it like the others and improve it. We have a great team, we have great technology and infrastructure, we can do it much better than others, so why not go ahead with it?”

“Things are always very simple. You can always get away with all that nonsense, and ultimately the simple decisions in life, which are often instinctive decisions added along with the data that backs them up, and that’s how Niki works. Don’t overcomplicate things.” Get the basics right.”

There is a lot to learn from Aston Martin.

While Mercedes had expected to start the season behind world champion Max Verstappen’s Red Bull, the fact that they were defeated by Aston Martin in Bahrain was a huge surprise.

Significant parts of the Aston Martin, which put Fernando Alonso third behind the Red Bulls in Bahrain, have been supplied by Mercedes, making its impressive early-season performance even more compelling for Wolff’s team.

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Fernando Alonso beat the Mercedes pair of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton before passing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz for third place at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Alonso’s second-place finish in Friday’s second practice in Saudi Arabia suggests Bahrain won’t be a one-off, but Wolff is trying to take the positives and says he’s happy to see his friend and Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll enjoy success.

“Why does that help us, they have the whole rear end of our car, the suspension, the engines, the gearbox – all of it, so we know there are really good areas, that we shouldn’t question too much,” said Wolff.

“But there are other areas where the cars are fundamentally different where we need to focus our attention – there is a lot to learn.

“Lawrence has had many difficult years, and now the team is on the move, they have succeeded, so we have to learn and not vice versa as it has been for many years.”

Formula 1 street racing is back! Watch the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Saturday’s qualifiers and Sunday’s race are held at 5 p.m. Get Sky Sports