MELBOURNE – A cautiously optimistic Mercedes chief Toto Wolff said the team have made “promising” progress since the first two Formula One races of the season, with another solid points haul on his wish list for the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.
On the high-speed, power-friendly Jeddah track in Saudi Arabia a fortnight ago, there were distinct signs of life as Mercedes left Ferrari floundering, with George Russell finishing fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth.
It was a clear improvement from the season-opening race in Bahrain, where they offered little competition to the Ferrari, Aston Martin or victorious Red Bull.
While they remain well adrift of the dominant Red Bull cars, Wolff said their W14 car was improving.
“The progress we saw in Saudi Arabia was encouraging. We maximised the package we had and scored some solid points,” he said on Wednesday.
“More importantly, we continue to learn and understand more about the W14 and our development direction. Everyone back at base has been hard at work to turn these learnings into performance.
“The signs we are seeing back at the factory are promising. We have to take it step by step, though, and won’t get carried away until we see performance translated into lap time on track.”
Mercedes won eight successive constructors’ titles before Red Bull claimed the crown in 2022, with seven-time world champion Hamilton, 38, enduring the longest winless run of his career.
The Briton, however, said on Thursday he sees himself “being with Mercedes till my last days” amid concerns he will leave.
Wolff admitted that a significant gap still remained between Mercedes and Red Bull, led by two-time world champion Max Verstappen.
“As always, we will look to maximise the car we have, and score as many points as our potential currently allows,” he said ahead of Sunday’s race at the fast Albert Park circuit.
“We are not where we want to be, but that won’t stop us from racing hard.”
The 25-year-old Verstappen, meanwhile, admitted that he still was not fully recovered from a stomach bug that hit him in Saudi Arabia, but is confident Red Bull will get a result in Australia.
The Dutchman delayed his arrival into Jeddah two weeks ago due to illness and missed the media day before lining up for the first practice session on Friday.
He battled through the discomfort to finish the race second behind teammate Sergio Perez after his victory in Bahrain.
He said on Thursday the illness was so bad he could “barely walk” ahead of his departure for Jeddah and, while better now, was still feeling the effects.
“I got to the weekend really believing it (the bug) was gone... but when I jumped in the car in FP1, even just one lap I felt like I had to recover for two laps just to be able to breathe normally,” he said.
“It definitely did affect me through the weekend. It was one of the first races where I just felt that I was physically limited.”
He is looking forward to the four-week break after Australia and, before the next grand prix in Azerbaijan, to fully recover.
“These weeks will be about getting back to full fitness,” he added. AFP
