Wolff Tempers Expectations Saying Red Bull Is 'Fair Chunk Ahead'

Friday, 16 February 2024 at 04:00

The team principal of Silver Arrows, Toto Wolff, tried to lower the expectations on his team after the recent launch of W15, saying Red Bull has the advantage going into the 2024 season.

Mercedes showed their 2024 challenger, W15, to the public for the first time on Wednesday, February 14th. The team then jumped straight to the shakedown at Silverstone, where we could see the W15 on track for the first time.

What is clear is that Mercedes stayed true to what Wolff said and changed almost everything about the previous year's car. The team even found a loophole in the regulations with their experimental front-wing design.

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While all Mercedes fans hope W15 might be the right step towards challenging the leading Red Bull for the title. The team principal tried to temper all the expectations when, as quoted by F1, he said:

"You need to be realistic about the odds of beating a team that is a fair chunk ahead under these regulations, and who got things right over the last two seasons whilst we have not. There are no miracles in the sport."

Red Bull has the highest chance of winning the title as it stands before the season's first race. The team from Milton Keynes won 21 out of 22 races in 2023, even at the end, with quite a comfortable margin.

However, it is Mercedes' goal and mission to win the Championship, and the only way to do that is to be faster than Red Bull. So, the German team has strong ambitions going into this year's season.

"On the other hand, our ambition is strong. It is Red Bull and a very successful car that are the benchmark we are aiming to beat."

The 52-year-old said in a different interview he is really keen on bringing a fast car for the last season with the seven-time World Champion. Will he be successful? That is to be revealed in Bahrain during the season's first race. For now, he added:

"I do not know when that will happen, we do not have any crystal ball. But we will know soon enough how far ahead they are and the task in front of us."