Mercedes wary of "game-changers" from F1 rivals
Mercedes wary of "game-changers" from F1 rivals
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has conceded the team is wary of 'game-changing' innovations from rivals this year.
F1 enters its new era with the opportunity for teams lower down the pecking order to gain ground on the heavyweights, with a complete reset of car design coupled with regulations that include a sliding scale of wind tunnel time depending on a championship position.
With the late finish to the last campaign, the sliding scale is set from 2020's standings, meaning there are five incremental steps between Mercedes' tunnel time and Ferrari's, despite the Scuderia finishing third last term.
With Mercedes in a season-long battle for the title with Red Bull, the Silver Arrows is theoretically on the back foot in development compared to teams that could afford to switch full focus to this season's car early on, with the wind tunnel restrictions further impacting upon the design team.
Asked where Mercedes' biggest threat was coming from, Wolff replied: "The ability of having more wind tunnel [time] is, of course, something you need to bear in mind.
"The advantage of finishing sixth versus first over the course of the season is a couple of tenths [of a second], and you need to catch up.
"We were part of these regulations. It's good to create competition so we shall see where everyone is.
"Personally, I'm not discounting any teams. Everyone could be high up in the standings at the beginning of the season. We saw it in 2009 with the double diffuser.
"If a team is innovative and discovered opportunities that could be game-changers, everyone can be ahead at the beginning."
Addressing the strain of fighting for the title last year when developing the W13, Wolff insisted "there weren't any major issues" but was adamant the team wouldn't rest on its laurels.
"From the beginning of the 2021 season we had a precise plan, a well-mapped out [plan] is probably the better word, as to how long we would continue the development of the W12 last year, no matter how the championship would pan out," he explained.
"We've followed that plan and our timeline, and it's all come together well for the moment.
"We fired up our car in December. That's the earliest we have ever done. That is no guarantee for success. We just need to keep on working and see if it performs as expected over the tests, in Barcelona and then Bahrain where there are more representative conditions.
"It's encouraging at the moment but there is nothing being taken for granted."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 sprint races: How do they work and what are the changes for 2024?
- Just now
- 6
EXCLUSIVE: 'Sports should be above' politics claims F1 icon
- 33 minutes ago
Sky Pundit suggests F1 star ‘DETRIMENTAL’ to nation
- 1 hour ago
F1 Flags Explained: What do the different colours mean?
- 2 hours ago
McLaren boss explains why FIA REVERSED Norris F1 penalty
- 3 hours ago
FIA CANCEL important drivers' meeting after huge drama in China
- Today 12:53
Related news
Wolff 'p*****' by Verstappen error as star makes Mercedes debut
Hamilton to open Wolff talks at Mercedes amid Ferrari F1 move uncertainty
Mercedes announce MAJOR £5.9 million loss in profits
Verstappen admits new Mercedes relationship with F1 future update
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860