Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes his team “has no choice” than to begin focusing on its 2024 Formula 1 car soon with it unlikely to extract any more performance from the W14.
The German manufacturer changed the concept of this year’s from Monaco onwards, reverting to a more common sidepod design having run without sidepods from the start of 2022.
Initially, it seemed the new package had delivered the step in performance Mercedes had hoped for, but the team has failed to build on its early promise and found itself outpaced by engine customers McLaren at Silverstone.
Now that it seems unable to produce a package capable of fighting for victories this season, Mercedes is evaluating the option to begin work on next year’s challenger in a bid to get a head start on its rivals.
Asked if there was a point where Mercedes would decide to switch focus to 2024, Wolff said, as quoted by Motorsport.com: “I think pretty soon. We have no choice.
“P2 or P3 fundamentally doesn’t impact me and the team. It’s about coming back and being able to win a world championship in that respect. That’s not going to happen this year.
“So we need to set our eyes to next year and then, at all the races to come, learn and develop, and make sure that we can carry that forward into next year.
“But, having said that, the regulations are the same. So it’s not that you’re not learning nothing by continuing this car. It’s a balance that we have to strike right.”
Wolff felt the restrictions imposed by the cost cap, as well as limitations on wind tunnel time, meant Mercedes could not expect to take a big leap in performance over the rest of the season.
While McLaren’s upturn in form shows it is possible to make gains, Mercedes expects to only make minor improvements with impending upgrades.
“I think we are restricted by the cost cap and by the relative less amount in wind tunnel and CFD time that McLaren was able to have,” Wolff explained.
“They finished further back in the championship and they were like fifth or sixth mid year. So they carried over that more wind tunnel time allocation. And that’s why it’s kind of difficult.
“Do I believe that we have upgrades in there that are going to fundamentally change the car? I don’t believe so. But we have a few small steps that are to come. And you can see that if you find the tenth or two or three, it puts you in a different position on the grid.”
Mercedes expected, based on its previous form at Silverstone, to go well on its home circuit, only to find the W14 was lacking pace relative to other teams.
Wolff has not given up hopes that Mercedes can win a race in 2023, but doesn’t believe it will be an easy feat with its current car that he referred to as “diva 2.0″.
“I thought that Silverstone based on our historic performances was the best shot, but it wasn’t,” he added. “So maybe there’s another track where we have the best shot because the characteristics of the car have changed.
“I always believe that we can beat Max, we have a good group of people, and best drivers.
“We just have to give them a car that is more predictable, and not the Diva 2.0, plus much more complicated than the first one.”
