Toto Wolff makes Mercedes 'sporting advantage' F1 wind tunnel claim

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Wolff makes Mercedes 'sporting advantage' F1 wind tunnel claim

The Mercedes F1 team principal opened up on a key decision ahead of the 2024 season

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Thursday 21 December 2023 19:57

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that any attempt to purposely finish behind Ferrari in the constructors' championship for more wind tunnel time would not have been a 'one-dimensional' decision.

Mercedes pipped Ferrari to P2 in the team standings by just three points during the curtain-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Each team’s allowance of wind tunnel time is defined by on-track performance on a sliding scale.

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The higher a team finishes in the constructors' championship, the less wind tunnel time they get ahead of the following season.

Ferrari therefore will have more time to work on their 2024 car in the wind tunnel ahead of next season.

Mercedes pipped Ferrari to P2 in the constructors' championship by just three points

But the Mercedes team principal believes there is more than just wind tunnel time at stake

But there also financial rewards at stake as well wind tunnel time, something that Wolff was all too aware of during the season finale.

Wolff: Wind tunnel time not only focus

"Obviously it's not one dimensional," Wolff told the team's official YouTube channel when asked if he ever considered ceding P2 to Ferrari for increased wind tunnel time.

"I think from a mindset [perspective], whether you finish P2 or P3, if you would have asked me that at the beginning of the season I would have said it's not very relevant.

George Russell's P3 in Abu Dhabi helped Mercedes clinch P2 in the team standings

"The sporting advantage is that you have more wind tunnel time for next year – I think it's about seven per cent more for P3 thanP2.

"But then it changed because there is a financial component for all our staff in terms of bonus.

“I need to look after everyone together with my senior management. And therefore, this is a very important component, even though maybe from the sporting side, purely, it is not so relevant.

"Having finished second in the world championship that evening [in Abu Dhabi], it felt great. And I wasn't expecting to have that feeling. You could see a boost of morale and emotion that was going through the team and that was important.”

Red Bull Ferrari Mercedes Toto Wolff Abu Dhabi Grand Prix