Mercedes Chief Sheds Light On "Promising" W14 Improvements Ahead Of Australian GP
The start of the 2023 F1 season hasn't been a walk in the park for the Mercedes team. With their W14 car struggling to keep up with Red Bull and even Aston Martin who have shown a huge improvement in performance, the team has faced some serious setbacks in the opening races.
But despite the challenges, the team managed to finish ahead of both Ferraris in Saudi Arabia, thanks to impressive driving from George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. And according to team boss Toto Wolff, there are some "promising" signs of progress back at the factory.
Wolff shared his thoughts on the team's progress ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, stating that the team's hard work is starting to pay off.
"The progress we saw in Saudi Arabia was encouraging," said Wolff. "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."
It's clear that the team is taking this setback seriously - almost too seriously according to some fans - with the Mercedes HQ in Brackley working tirelessly to bring huge upgrades to Baku later this year. And while the Saudi Arabian GP showed the team a glimpse of potential, and tests back at HQ are progressing in a similar fashion, Wolff is keen to maintain expectations:
"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," he said.
"The competitive order behind Red Bull is tight, with small margins having a big effect on points scored."
There's still a significant gap to Red Bull, and that's ultimately what the team is interested in closing. With Aston Martin firmly set in the sights of Mercedes, there's plenty of season left for them to make up some time.