Toto Wolff concedes 'mind-boggling' Red Bull advantage

Mercedes

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Wolff concedes 'mind-boggling' Red Bull advantage

Sam Hall

Monday 10 April 2023 09:00

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has described Red Bull's DRS advantage as 'mind-boggling'.

Red Bull has been the dominant force in F1 this season with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez sharing all three of the race wins so far this campaign.

A key strength of the RB19 has been its drag reduction system, with Verstappen demonstrating this as he glided past Lewis Hamilton early in the Australian Grand Prix.

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Responding to comments that there appeared to be 'almost a class difference' between the cars of Mercedes and Red Bull, Wolff said: “Yes.

"They have a straight-line speed advantage with the DRS open that is just mindboggling. But this is a meritocracy, this sport.

“And if you have a car that is that quick on the straight because you are doing the right things, then it’s up to us to sort this out and find tools in order to have that same straight-line performance.”

Mercedes aided by Albert Park surface

Hamilton scored Mercedes' first podium of the season when he finished second at Albert Park.

Asked how much of the W14's pace in Australia was down to the less abrasive track surface, something that improved tyre life, Wolff added: “It was definitely an advantage for us.

"Our car lacks a little bit of performance at the rear end and that track definitely helped us, so I think that was making us look a little bit better than we should be.

“But we know where the weaknesses are and we just need to sort them out.”