Toto Wolff insists Mercedes hit “very high targets" with F1 2023 concept
Aiming to return to title contention after a miserable 2022 campaign, Mercedes made an underwhelming start to the new campaign as168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Lewis Hamilton finished fifth with teammate 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:George Russell seventh in the seaso🍰n-opening Bahrain Gr꧂and Prix.
Hamilton ended up 50 seconds adrift of Red Bull’s 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen and was also beaten by 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin and the Ferrari of168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史: Carlos Sainz, while the second Aston Martin of 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Lance Stroll managedꩵ to split 🌠the Mercedes pair in sixth.
Wolff admitted in Bahrain that Mercedes would need to ditch their 2023 concept in order to return to the front in F1 and demanded “radical” changes after describing the Bahrain Grand Prix as 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:“one of theꦓ worst days in racing”.
Nevertheless, the Mercedes team principal stressed his side d𒁏id achieve the targets they had set during the off-season.
"We set ourselves very high targets and we've a📖chieved those high targets," Wolff said.
"I think it's where we set those targets, all of us collectively,🉐 and how we need to maybe change the perspective which is an interesting exercise. It is also something I'🥂m looking forward to.
"I'd rather win every single race and continue to win ch🔯ampionship after championship, but this is now the real challenge, and for me it is an interesting one, as painful as it is today.
"It is pretty clear where we should be going, we just need to make the data work and I think the most important thing is 𝔍re💎-establishing a baseline to say: 'This is where we are and that there are no surprises in the other direction.”
Mercedes remained faithful to their distinctive ‘zero sidepod’ design over the wꦺinter, while many teams have converged towards a concept similar to that of Red Bull.
Wolff suggested M🔯ercedes are considering “different concepts” and remain “open-minded”.
"We've looked at other ideas and haven't sto🌸o🌄d still," he explained.
"That's not only in the two weeks when we saw that we haven't been able to close the gap𒀰, but we'♔ve done it for a while just to be open-minded, and still with an emphasis on making this [concept] work.
"But we've already looked at different concepts."
Lewis regu🦄larly attends Grands Prix for mahbx.com around the world. Often reporting on the action from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
