Toto Wolff has teased some mysterious Mercedes changes ahead of the 2024 season. The Austrian believes the team have come up with some ‘interesting’ ideas that have not previously featured on their cars.
Mercedes are desperate to catch Red Bull after another dominant year for Max Verstappen. Star driver Lewis Hamilton has already cast doubts over being able to defeat Red Bull in 2024.
But team principal Wolff is more upbeat about Mercedes’ chances. He promised that the car for next season will be more ‘conventional’ after admitting that the Silver Arrows got the design of this year’s W14 ‘wrong’.
The 51-year-old has teased ‘interesting’ changes that will be made to develop the W15. “I think we were bold and courageous to embark on the road with such a car,” he told PlanetF1.com.
“That was a different concept that nobody else had had before and it didn’t work. I think it’s as simple as that. It’s physics and not mystics.
“Next year’s car is going to be more conventional in what you would expect from a Formula One car, but there are a few interesting details that we have not seen on other cars yet.”
Wolff insists he does not want to look back on the previous year, instead preferring to plot a Mercedes resurgence for 2024. “Every year that is not easy is part of a learning curve that makes you better afterwards,” he added.
“I would have wished we would have competed for the World Championship but that wasn’t the case. So we are looking forward to next year. All sails are set for 2024. We take the learnings and there is more analysis that we’re doing but it’s about the new car, it’s about the organisation.”
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton is unsure whether any team will catch Red Bull next year. He pointed out that Verstappen and Co have been able to focus on 2024 for several months due to the Dutchman wrapping up the 2023 World Championship in early October.
Asked if Mercedes can challenge with next year’s car, Hamilton ominously responded: “At this moment I don’t really know. For Red Bull to win by 17 seconds in the end and they haven’t even developed their car since August is definitely a concern.
“But we’ve learned a lot about the car and it’s just down to the team now. They know what they need to do. Whether or not we will get there, we will see.”