Mercedes Team Principal Evaluates Upgrades On Mercedes Car After Mexico City Grand Prix
F1Wednesday, 01 November 2023 at 09:00
Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff discussed Mercedes upgrades after the 2023 Mexico City Grand Prix at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
It is the second year that Mercedes is trying to catch up to the dominant Red Bull in the "car development race." Mercedes missed the car concept in 2022, and in 2023, the team changed its trajectory completely when it introduced a model similar to Red Bull with big side pods.
The team has been experimenting a lot with new upgrades step by step, getting closer to Red Bull. The last significant upgrades brought by Silver Arrows were introduced in Austin.
It was also in Austin that Lewis Hamilton came very close to challenging Max Verstappen for the race win. The race in Mexico saw Hamilton start from the sixth place and finish second.
While his teammate George Russell did not finish on the podium, he seemed to agree the car got faster after most recent upgrades. The team principal, Toto Wolff, told the media after the race:
"I think we have seen that it is providing more downforce, more drivability, the car is a little bit less tricky. Still, the genes are there. Lewis said to me yesterday, ‘she’s still so difficult to drive, although she’s faster.’"
Wolff previously mentioned the most important thing is for drivers to feel confident in their cars. It seems like newly brought upgrades move the team in the right direction.
"So I think for us, it was important to see whether, directionally, we were going in the right direction also for next year, and it seems to be on the right path."
We have a Sprint weekend this week in Sao Paulo. It was the Mercedes team that secured a one-two in a race here last year breaking a series of consecutive wins for Verstappen. Silver Arrows will be looking to repeat this success.
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