Mercedes’ Toto Wolff Makes a Disappointing Prediction for the 2021 F1 Season

Mercedes had a successful season as they racked up another constructors’ and drivers’ championship this season. The Silver Arrows were significantly faster than the rest of the grid all season. After Hamilton set a record pole position time at Monza, they established the Mercedes W11 as the fastest car of all time.

The teams had increased downforce to be quicker through the apex this season, and the tires were under additional pressure. As a result, the 2021 rules have proposed certain changes.

The key difference next season is the requirement of downforce cuts by reducing floor area. Meanwhile, Toto Wolff has explained that because of these changes, it will be difficult for teams to come back faster next season.

He said, “The aero was cut back considerably on the floor around the tyres, and it’s going to take a while to catch up.

“We’re still right in the middle of our development for next year, but I doubt we will be there quickly.

“In that respect, and with the tyres going a notch harder, I don’t think we will near the lap times that we have seen this year. At least not in the first half of the year.”

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Mercedes opens up about their DAS system

The Dual Axis Steering system first appeared in winter testing. An invention that generates heat into the tires faster than other teams by pulling or pushing on the steering wheel. However, Mercedes technical director, James Allison, admitted that they never maximized on their invention.

“We had hoped we would be able to use it more over the course of an event from old tyres to new, that the drivers would find corners where it was just easier to nip around the corner with a little tweak of DAS because it does change the steer response,” he explained.

Considering the loss in downforce, Mercedes will look forward to extracting the most out of DAS to gain an edge over the rest. Eyeing another championship title, they will, sure enough, provide a car to both Hamilton and Bottas to dominate the drivers standing once again.