As the new rules and regulations came in, the Mercedes AMG F1 team couldn’t make the most of them. The Brackley-based team has fallen behind to P3 from being Champions on eight back-to-back occasions. However, team principal Toto Wolff knows what they need to do to be in a good place next year.

Wolff recently opened up on this to Sky and talked about their primary rivals, Red Bull. He said, “They have a top-class car and a good driver. You have to catch up on that first and that’s not easy.”

Although Red Bull is hit with a penalty of 10% reduction in wind tunnel time due to their minor cost cap breach, it seems the Austrian billionaire is not writing the Bulls off.

But as things stand, the wind of success is currently towards Red Bull Racing, and Mercedes can do nothing about it. At least not this season, as the Austrian team has picked up the constructors’ championship and their driver Max Verstappen retained his driver’s title.

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The Germans will have to wait till next season, hoping to change things for the better. With Lewis Hamilton eyeing his eighth world championship, and Mercedes their ninth constructors’ championship, the team from Brackley needs to pull up their socks to catch up to the dominant Red Bull Racing.

Toto Wolff assures Mercedes DNA change

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has confirmed the DNA change that the German car will go through next season. Still being winless with just three races left, the Brackley-based team needs a major overhaul.

As per MotorsportWeek.com, Wolff stated, “The DNA of the car is going to change for next year, that’s clear.”

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that our bodywork is going to look very different. But certainly, what is part of the DNA of the car, the architecture of the car, will change for next year.”

Mercedes faced numerous challenges in 2022 challenge. Porpoising being one of them, the W13 suffered from the phenomenon arguably more that any other team. Moreover, they were relatively slower on the straights and corners as compared to Red Bull and Ferrari.

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However, the Mercedes cars were far more reliable than its competitors and that was, of course, a great sign. Despite this, the German team needs to make huge changes next year if they wish to stay in the hunt for the driver’s and constructors’ championships.