Mercedes wants to win

Wolff confident: “It’s a good feeling”

Toto Wolff is satisfied with the current development

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Mercedes won eight world championship titles as a constructor from 2014 to 2021, before their dominance came to an abrupt end with the dawn of the "ground effect" era in 2022. Last year, the team led by Team Principal Toto Wolff failed to win a single race in a Formula 1 season for the first time since 2012. However, there is currently a noticeable upswing in the Mercedes garage after the first two podium finishes this year. The star empire is confident that the fundamental breakthrough has been achieved.

George Russell took third place in Canada, while Lewis Hamilton claimed his first podium of the season in third place in Spain last weekend. Russell led the race at the start in both Montreal and Montmelo. Mercedes were also clearly faster than their rivals Ferrari - not only in the race, but also in qualifying.

So there is definitely evidence to suggest a Mercedes renaissance. "What has changed in the last two or three races is that we have modified the car so that it has a sensible balance between high and low speed and a sensible balance in the corners," explained Technical Director James Allison after the Canadian Grand Prix. Previously, the W15 could either be set up well for slow cornering sections or for fast corners, "but you couldn't get it right in both at the same time," he said.

Not at the finish line yet
Before the trip to Montreal, however, the technical managers are likely to have stumbled across something that would substantially improve performance on the road in the fragile interplay between aerodynamics, suspension and track. Allison did not want to go into detail about this. He only said this much: "This balance is crucial for a driver to ensure that the car reacts exactly as he would like it to."

George Russell took the last victory for Mercedes so far

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

However, Mercedes is still "not quite there yet", as Wolff put it before his personal home Grand Prix in Spielberg. "We still have to do more to catch up with the drivers ahead of us. Nevertheless, we are on a positive development path and it is a good feeling to be back in the game," said the Viennese. Allison emphasized: "I think we can definitely get the car to be really competitive this season and we don't have to fear any track."

Waiting since November 2022
Mercedes' last victory to date dates back to November 2022, when Russell won in Brazil. If the 'Silver Arrows' complete their turnaround soon and are actually able to celebrate race wins again, this could also be a significant factor in the race for Max Verstappen. After all, it is not set in stone that the world champion will remain at Red Bull until 2026, let alone 2028, despite having an upright contract.

Nor is it a done deal that teenager Kimi Antonelli will be the second driver alongside Russell in 2025, despite some reports to the contrary. Wolff wants to take as long as possible to make this decision - ideally until late fall. The Austrian hopes that if Mercedes then has a car that can take victories, this could make a switch attractive for Verstappen.