Toto Wolff assures us, nothing is set in stone on the W13

Knowing how to recognize your mistakes is a quality that is not given to everyone. At the house of Mercedes, it has become commonplace since the start of the season. It's an open secret that the W13 cannot reproduce the performance displayed in the wind tunnel. In Baku, the pilots had the impression to have a parachute behind their cars on the straight. But the image that stood out was above all the endless rebounds of Mercedes in the last sector. A phenomenon which affected almost the entire paddock. Lewis Hamilton would have gone well and Toto wolff was well aware of this after the Grand Prix. “ Lewis, we all know it's a bit of a crap car to drive right now... We will get through this », Explained the team manager to his driver who finished in 4th position while George Russell finished on the podium.

After 8 Grands Prix, can Mercedes really find a miracle solution to eliminate this pumping effect? “ I think we are studying all possible solutions under the leadership of Mike Elliott, he is a very strong technical director » announces the Austrian leader. The key has still not been found to solve the problems of the W13 while Lewis Hamilton and George Russell increasingly express the dangers of this aerodynamic phenomenon.

Lewis Hamilton visibly very tired after the#AzerbaijanGP 🤕#AzerbaijanGP🇦🇿 | ▶️ https://t.co/7plkVVV12v pic.twitter.com/BQ2xFFKwdC

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Could the statements of the two drivers push Mercedes to review its plans? Toto Wolff assures us, nothing is set in stone with this news car. " There are no sacred cows, everything is looked at and we will definitely get the car back on track. If things cannot be fixed in the short term because they are conceptual, it is certain that they will be fixed in the next two months », Specifies the Mercedes manager. If necessary, the Austrian has the answer by raising the car. But this could completely destroy the direction taken by this new technical regulation. 

The importance of still scoring points for Toto Wolff

So before finding concrete solutions on the W13, Mercedes is going through an experimental phase. A transition that all the teams, from the engineers to the driver at the German team are determined to carry out. “ All the decisions that have been made between him (Lewis Hamilton) and his team of engineers are successful, in the sense that sometimes things don't go well, refutes Toto Wolff when asked about a potential frustration expressed by his pilot. And these experimental directions are good for allowing us to progress as a team.»

While waiting in Baku, Mercedes took advantage of the technical knockout of Ferrari to sign a double behind Red Bull. An unexpected but important result for the manufacturer's championship. “ When your car isn't super-competitive with the guys in front, maximizing these points is important to ensure you consolidate in third. But also, you see the situation with Ferrari – if they drop the ball a lot, we are there », adds Toto Wolff. A clever way to put a little pressure on a Scuderia that is closer to being overtaken by Mercedes in the standings than to catching up with Red Bull.

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