Wolff: “If we improve in qualifying, we will be at the top in 2024”

With this year’s Formula 1 titles long since decided, the sport’s top teams have devoted the last few months to designing their cars for 2024. Mercedes raced in Texas and then Mexico, with a completely redesigned floor that is part of the change in design philosophy of the car it chose for the new year – after two dry years of development of the W13-W14 concept.

Lewis Hamilton finished second in both races – behind only Max Verstappen – and that boded well for 2024, as Wolff said: “That gives us optimism for 2024. Yes, that’s the direction we’re going, and now we just have to start developing its speed for the new year.”said the Austrian.

And he added that one of the strongest positive signs giving the team optimism is that Hamilton says he is getting a much better feeling with the redesigned surface.

“I am happy for many reasons. Lewis’ driving was incredible. We weren’t sure if the tires (read: the middle set after the restart in Mexico) would last until the end, but the last lap was also the fastest. The car was good. If we improve our qualifications, we can be at the top again.”Wolff added.

Mercedes have managed to reduce the 1.5 second gap they had to Red Bull at the start of the year and hope to close the remaining gap in 2024 – but Hamilton is more careful with his words.

“We have to make sure that something like this doesn’t happen again next year in Bahrain, but I also believe and hope that we will be closer in the next two races [στον Φερστάπεν]”said the Brit. “I was hoping there would be an opportunity to get closer to Max in Mexico, but maybe next week.”

Today (11/1) it was announced that Mike Elliott, the Mercedes technical director who signed the W13 and W14, is a former Brackley. In April, after the first failures for the 2023 GP team, he moved on to another role and was replaced by James Allison, the architect of the last Mercedes championship cars.

Elliott, paying the price for the team’s failure, decided to leave Brackley after 11 years, according to Mercedes. “It is clear that he is ready for new adventures away from Mercedes and I believe that this is the right step for him,” commented Toto Wolff.