Toto Wolff, the head of the Mercedes team, has sent a warning to their Formula 1 competitors, claiming that the Mercedes W15, which will be introduced in 2024, would have a two-and-a-half-second advantage over the W14.
Wolff’s statement after a season in which Aston Martin, a Mercedes client team, showed early promise and became a serious contender to Red Bull.
This competition was a good thing for Wolff since it made their power unit and rear-end parts more clear in terms of performance.
Aston Martin lucidity
“It was actually really good that Aston Martin was so competitive at the beginning of the season,” stated Wolff on the F1 Nation Podcast.
“Because that at least for us made it clear that the rear end is not the problem. The gearbox is not the problem. The engine is not the problem. The rear suspension is not the problem.
“We’ve got to look elsewhere and that’s why I like having teams that are on the same spec.”
The head of Mercedes believes that the Brackley team has been much inspired by Aston Martin’s rise from a pitiful seventh place in the 2022 constructors’ standings to a head-to-head competition with Red Bull.
“That step that [Aston Martin] made from last year being among the slowest team, to the beginning of the season, being clearly number two, it shows that if you unlock potential, then you can have a big step forward,” Wolff continued.
“Not just bolting on a 10th of downforce and this is just what we need to find.”
Wolff’s audacious forecast
The W15’s ambitious goals were presented by the Mercedes team principal, who emphasized a significant gain of 2.5 seconds.
“So we’re going to make a two-and-a-half second step,” he concluded.
The W15 capabilities will be keenly anticipated by Mercedes’ top drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as Formula One regroups during the winter break before making its way to Bahrain on March 2nd for the first race of the 2024 season.
