Mercedes hopes that the track in Saudi Arabia, where the next GP race is held, will suit them much more than the previous one in Bahrain, where they had the worst start to the season in the past ten years.
Toto Wolff says Bahrain is such a track that it showed the weak points of their W14:
“I haven’t dreamed of miracles in a long time, so I don’t expect anything like that.”
“Bahrain is a track that wears tires a lot, it has abrasive asphalt and that is probably the weakest aspect of our car. If you look at things from that perspective – we might be better. We will definitely be much, much better when we come to tracks that require more grip on the front of the car.”
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain, 50 seconds behind winner Max Verstappen and two places ahead of teammate George Russell. Wolff says both drivers understand that the W14 needs to change significantly to become a car capable of fighting for wins.
“Everyone is aware that this is not about three tenths or some fine tuning. This is about serious progress that we need to achieve in order to be in a position to fight for wins and championships again.”
“We set high goals and we achieved them. Therefore, I think it’s a matter of what goals we have set, all of us as a collective, and how we may have to change our perspective.”
“I’m looking forward to it, it’s an interesting thing. I would rather win every race and every championship, but this is a real challenge. It’s interesting to me, no matter how painful it is.”
