Mercedes has "easy route out" of issues - Wolff

Mercedes

Mercedes has "easy route out" of issues - Wolff

Mercedes has so far persisted with its troublesome W13 concept

Sam Hall

Friday 13 May 2022 09:30

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Toto Wolff believes there is an "easy route out" of Mercedes' current predicament with the team still lacking pace to Red Bull and Ferrari.

Mercedes finished fifth and sixth in Miami last weekend with George Russell leading Lewis Hamilton across the line.

Despite a late-race safety car period resulting in an 11-lap dash, Russell trailed race-winner Max Verstappen by 18.5 seconds at the chequered flag.

The picture was similarly bleak in qualifying with Mercedes over eight-tenths off the pace.

“I think there is an easy route out and you just say ‘We are not able to generate it over the floor’ and you patch it up, make it stiffer and see where you end up in performance," explained Wolff.

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"That is probably faster than where we are at now, but we haven’t yet capitulated and gone back to the simpler solutions.”

Wolff - All teams 'chasing downforce'

After F1 introduced an all-new set of technical regulations this year with a focus on downforce being generated through ground effect technology, teams have been forced to get to grips with porpoising.

This phenomenon occurs as the airflow attaches and detaches from the venturi tunnels that suck the car into the ground.

Building an element of flexibility into the floor could limit this problem although this is prevented by the regulations.

Asked if teams could nonetheless be attempting to exploit such flexing, Wolff added: “I think that everybody tries to chase downforce with a degree of ground-effect and that, obviously, is a tricky balance to get.

"Because if you are able to put it right, your car is going to be very quick and generally [have] downforce.

"But if you are not there or you get it wrong, it is what is happening to us at the moment."