It is not fresh news that Lewis Hamilton has been miserably struggling with his Mercedes W14. Even after giving detailed insights and feedback about the performance of the W14 to his team, the bigger problems haven’t been solved. While this happens, their rivals, Red Bull have been hallmarked as the team to beat. And for that reason, the Brackley outfit has been criticized for not providing their talisman with a good-enough car.

In 2021, Max Verstappen took over the F1 crown from Lewis Hamilton. And he has no intention of ever giving it back as long as he’s in the sport. And neither is Hamilton able to take it back with Mercedes’ current car. The sidepod has been a major issue for the team since 2022 and the problem still hasn’t been solved. On the latest episode of the Race F1 Podcast, the host spoke about the same, slamming Mercedes for not being audacious enough to make radical changes.

The host said, “I don’t think they are open-minded enough to go all the way and try to create a Red Bull lookalike sidepod. Because it’s not just in the visual aerodynamics of the car. It’s underneath the bit we don’t see. You know underneath the car and how the visual part works with the bit underneath the car.”

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Throughout this period, Hamilton has been optimistic, and he’s also hoping to make a comeback after the summer break. But his Team Principal’s expectations don’t go hand-in-hand with his.

Toto Wolff’s Seemingly Positive Update for Mercedes Translates Into Disappointment for Lewis Hamilton

At the Belgian GP, Hamilton was asked about the gap between Mercedes and Red Bull. While he agreed that there was a considerable gap between Verstappen and the rest of the grid, his motto for 2023 was “Never say never”. But Toto Wolff already seems to have moved on from the W14’s 2023 progression.

“The sails are set for 2024,” said Wolff, as quoted by Mirror. “Now with the car development almost stopped for this year. I find that good because there is so much we can optimize on the current car without looking too much onto upgrades. Let’s see how we can really get it into more of a sweet spot, whilst gaining lots of understanding for next year.”

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There have been some silver linings for the 7-time champ, like getting Pole in Qualifying at Hungary and 4 podiums in 12 races. But looking at the bleak progress updates from the team’s management, the road ahead looks tough.