Wolff Still Believes There Is 'Potential' In W15

Tuesday, 19 March 2024 at 19:45

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Toto Wolff stated there is still potential to be found in W15 (Mercedes's 2024 Challenger) ahead of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.

Mercedes is fourth in the Constructor's Championship ahead of the third race of the season, which will take place at Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne.

The season's first two races obviously haven't gone according to Mercedes's expectations. During the Bahrain Grand Prix, both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were hindered by technical issues.

During the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Mercedes struggled with high-speed corners and, surprisingly, bouncing (yet again). As it stands, Silver Arrows match the pace of McLaren and Aston Martin but are behind Ferrari and Red Bull.

The team principal of the German team, Toto Wolff, already claimed twice times that we hadn't seen the full potential of W15, and he still believes his team can do better than it did during the first two races. He said:

"With the first two races of the season completed, we now head to Melbourne. Whilst Bahrain and Saudi Arabia didn't quite deliver what we expected, there is potential in the W15."

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"We started off each weekend strong but couldn't deliver on that initial promise. The chasing pack is so close, which means you don't have to be out by much to lose three or four places on the grid."

By saying his team started each weekend strong, the team principal didn't mean qualifying sessions but Free Practice sessions.

Mercedes really did show some signs of higher potential, but as the team principal said after the most recent race, the issue might be more fundamental than they initially thought.

However, Wolf also pointed out that even small gains in performance can now lead to significant changes in the pecking order. He added:

"It also means you don’t have to find much to move up three or four positions. Maximizing the potential of the car each weekend is key. Australia gives us another chance to show."