Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff believes Mercedes would not have been able to solve the W13’s problems during the season, even without the budget cap restrictions.
After winning eight straight constructors’ titles, Mercedes F1 endured a tricky campaign as it struggled to match Red Bull and Ferrari under the new F1 regulations for 2022.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were plagued with porpathing issues throughout the early part of the season, but as the team worked to fix the problem, a deeper problem with the W13 became apparent.
Mercedes F1 was able to solve the W13 problem by the end of the season and George Russell won the F1 Brazilian GP to avoid finishing the season without a win, but the W14, which will be the F1 machine in 2023, is a big deal. He made it clear that he planned to change.
Faced with the added challenge of developing new cars under the $140m budget cap for 2022, F1 teams have been forced to think more regarding what areas to focus on for development. .
However, Toto Wolff said the lack of a budget cap “made no difference” in solving the W13’s problems over the course of the season, believing it was simply a process that might only be done gradually and might not be resolved. ing.
“We’re not short of ability, we’re not short of tools, we’re not short of time,” Wolff said on F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast.
“I had to peel layer by layer to get to the root of the problem, so nothing would have changed.”
Mercedes F1 initially thought it had solved the problem of porpassing, with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell showing promising pace at the F1 Spanish Grand Prix, which introduced the first major update of the season.
However, the porpassing problem soon recurred and was still present, albeit in small amounts, during the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
Toto Wolff explained that while Mercedes mightn’t fix all the bouncing problems in its W13 car, the team believes “next year will be easier”.
“We are changing some of the architecture and layout of the car to point it in the right direction,” said Wolff.
“But as is the case with these new regulations, sometimes one problem becomes apparent and you find another problem underneath.”
“We have to stay humble and not feel entitled to come back and win the championship from the start. I’m really looking forward to it.”
