How Understanding Struggling 2022 F1 Challenger May Delay Mercedes W14 Development

It has been a difficult start to the season for the Mercedes AMG F1 team. They have struggled uncharacteristically against the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari for the most part of the season so far. But there is another hurdle in their way, as mentioned by the team principal Toto Wolff.

The W13 has not yielded the results that the team was hoping for this season, which may also cause a problem if they want to design the W14 for the 2023 season.

Toto Wolff reveals the big hurdle on their way for the 2023 season

The Austrian mentioned the team has to understand their current concept completely before making a judgment on it. It would be really difficult for them to design a radically different car next season if they don’t completely know what they lacked in the 2022 season.

“If you want to change a concept, you have to understand what will make a new concept faster than the current one. I think if we had known that, we would have done it already,” said Toto.

“At the moment, I still believe in what our organization is telling us, which is trying to bring developments and understanding to our car. Without that, there is no point in starting the W14 project,” said the Mercedes team boss.

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In the era of the budget cap, the German team would have to very soon make a decision on whether to continue developing their 2022 cars or start focusing on 2023.

Mercedes team boss confident Lewis Hamilton can bounce back

Lewis Hamilton‘s dip in form has also been another surprising feature in this season. The 7-time world champion has looked less competitive than his new teammate George Russell in the new generation of cars. But Toto believes Hamilton can bounce back once he has better luck.

“So [once] these unlucky situations stop with Lewis, they’re very much on the same pace. [During] one practice, one leads and then the other one. And that is great. Also, they work together in order to get our car straight because we need to get our car straight,” said Wolff.

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It is certainly interesting to see how much the British driver has struggled compared to his teammate this season. But he can still bounce back and show his true capabilities in the car as the season goes on.