Wolff: I don’t care if W14 looks like Red Bull

Mercedes has made no secret of the fact that they will revise the concept of the car in 2023 due to the team’s failure to make the expected progress. After qualifying in Jeddah, team boss Toto Wolff said he saw no problem with the updated W14 looking like a Red Bull Racing car.

Toto Wolff: “We have no dogma about what the car should look like. The main thing is that it has to be fast. I don’t care if our car looks like a Red Bull. I will not be ashamed of this if she turns out to be fast.

We will review the design of all visible aerodynamic elements – from the front wing to the diffuser and the plane of the rear wing. The design of the soil is of great importance, taking into account the “ground effect”.

In addition, there are many hidden elements that are not visible, but do influence efficiency. At the moment we are literally turning the car upside down and we see a lot of promise.”

Last year, Mercedes followed a radical concept in the design of the car, which fell short of expectations. The 2023 car was also not competitive enough and Toto Wolff found an unusual comparison to describe the situation the team found themselves in.

“Imagine trying to hit the center of the target, but the first time you miss to the left,” explains Toto. – Then you aim a second time and hit to the right of the target. This is just our case.”