As Toto Wolff admits McLaren and Aston Martin, Mercedes will imitate its F1 rivals.

With only one Grand Prix victory in the previous two seasons, Mercedes has significantly struggled in F1 since the new regulations were implemented in 2022.

Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, has acknowledged that his team is looking to imitate Aston Martin and McLaren’s advancements as they continue to struggle with speed in 2023.

The Silver Arrows haven’t fared well since Max Verstappen controversially defeated Lewis Hamilton for the 2021 F1 drivers’ championship. George Russell and Hamilton could only manage a fourth- and sixth-place finish in the standings last season due to a number of onerous new regulations.

But after Wolff’s team unveiled their new W14 vehicles, better performances were promised this time around.
That expectation, however, has not come true, as the team has acknowledged that the aero platform is now too high and is losing too much speed to rivals like Red Bull who are currently in the lead.

It’s true that Wolff and company’s season’s standings don’t look promising at all.
Even though Hamilton has improved his consistency, he is still in fourth place and is more than 200 points behind Verstappen, the leader. Russell is back in seventh place despite only having one podium placement.

Mercedes is in second place among the constructors but is 310 points behind Christian Horner.
Verstappen and Sergio Perez have won every F1 race this season, and Red Bull can clinch the championship if results go their way in Singapore this weekend.

Further evidence that Wolff’s drivers will find it challenging to compete with the two rival teams in 2024 is provided by the wide gap between them.
The Austrian, however, has pointed to the achievements of Red Bull and Aston Martin as proof that they can resume serious competition after making significant improvements in 2023.

Fernando Alonso, a seasoned driver who switched from Alpine to the team at the end of last year, is currently third in the championship, ahead of Hamilton.
Additionally, Wolff was asked by motorsport .
com if his own team could make comparable strides.

In response, he said, “I think where we are, we just need a step that McLaren and Aston Martin have achieved in one go.
The update takes five tenths of a second rather than two, and then you can resume playing. I believe it is possible, so yes.
“.

The 38-year-old Hamilton, who recently agreed to a new, £100 million, two-year contract with the team, appears to share this sentiment. And as soon as he did, he gave the impression that Mercedes was still capable of quickly regaining the top spot in the sport.

“Our desire to win has never been greater. We have gained knowledge from both successes and failures, he said.
“We keep pursuing our goals, we keep fighting through difficulties, and we will succeed again.
I’m appreciative of the team’s assistance, both on and off the field.
We’re still working to accomplish more as a team, and we won’t give up until we do.
“.