Toto Wolff has confirmed Mercedes will bring more car upgrades to this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Mercedes have underperformed so far this year and have what is clearly only the fourth-fastest car on the grid at their disposal. Specifically, leaders Red Bull, as well as both Ferrari and McLaren, have been notably ahead.
While those three teams have all tasted victory this season, Mercedes don’t even have a podium to show for their efforts so far. Lewis Hamilton finished second in a Sprint but his best Grand Prix result was sixth, while team-mate George Russell has fared only marginally better with one fifth-placed finish to his name.
Upgrades last time out at the Miami Grand Prix didn’t appear to make much of a difference. Their cars were still difficult to set up and both Hamilton and Russell remained off the pace of the teams above them.
Team principal Wolff confirmed that more new parts are on the way for this weekend’s race at Imola. And he urged fans to remain patient as he hopes to see Mercedes reap the rewards in the coming weeks and months.
The Austrian said: “We are now one quarter of the way through the season. The first six races have not been straightforward, but we have built a clear understanding of where we need to improve and shaped a clear path forward to tackle that.
“It will be several races before we see this bear fruit, but everyone is working hard to bring them as soon as is possible. In the meantime, we will be looking to maximise the package we have. We are bringing some more updates to Imola and hopefully they push us in the right direction.”
A return to the more familiar race weekend format will be something of a novelty after two Sprint weekends in a row. And Wolff pointed out the challenge that the Imola circuit will present as it returns to the calendar after the 2023 event was cancelled due to local flooding.
The Mercedes chief added: “After two Sprints in a row, we now go back to the more usual weekend format. It affords us more time to refine the set-up, but Imola is still a demanding circuit that challenges both the car and the driver.
“It has several fast and flowing sections, but some low-speed corners too and a tricky, bumpy surface. It’s narrow, which makes overtaking difficult, and has plenty of elevation. All that combines to provide a stern test and one we’re looking forward to.”
