20 April 2023 , 11:59
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Mercedes will "consistently" bring new parts to their car over the next few races as team boss Toto Wolff unveiled an aggressive upgrades schedule.
It will be music to the ears of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell who, like last year, do not have a car capable of matching their ambitions. The Silver Arrows had to settle for just the one win last year, when Russell took victory over his team-mate in Brazil.
Hopes of an immediate return to the front of the grid were dashed when Mercedes turned up to the first race in Bahrain with the fourth fastest car. Saudi Arabia did not yield much more joy for them, though they found pace in the Australian Grand Prix.
A first podium of the season will have buoyed Hamilton, while Russell will take confidence from knowing he was well placed for a top three finish himself had he not suffered an engine failure. Their moods will only be boosted by Wolff's positive update regarding car upgrades.
"In terms of car development, it is encouraging to see that within three races, we understand the car much better, we have defined a clear direction where we need to go and I believe we are on the right trajectory," the Austrian told the Mercedes website.
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"We need to consolidate our understanding and hopefully over the next few races we can make another step. It's also important to keep on track and not oscillate too much between exuberance and depression – to stay rational and believe in our trajectory, believe in the capability of the team.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be thrilled at the prospect of car upgrades coming soon (HOCH ZWEI/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images)"There will be setbacks but there will also be upgrades and plenty of work that will help us get closer to the front. The machine is continuing to run in Brixworth and Brackley at a fast pace. What you see on track is only the tip of the iceberg, but the performance of the car and power unit is made in these two factories.
"The mindset is great, the spirit is there and I see a lot of buzz. I believe 100 percent in our organisation, because our perspective is not always on a single race weekend, not even a single season. It's on trying to build our capability so we are successful over multiple years, while recognising the fact you are never going to win every single season, because no sports team has ever done it."
Wolff is not naive and knows there is a performance chasm between his team Red Bull. But the "steeper development curve" needed will be made easier by the fact there is more room for improvement for Mercedes compared to the defending champions, and that gives the Austrian confidence that his team will be able to close the gap.