Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says that the highly anticipated upgrades that will debut at the upcoming Monaco Grand Prix will not be a “silver bullet” for the squad.
The Brackley-based outfit has endured a difficult start to the 2023 campaign and conceded at the season-opening race in Bahrain that its current car concept wouldn’t deliver it a route back to the front of the grid.
Mercedes has worked to implement a new plan and had scheduled to bring the first of its upgrades to Imola last weekend as it undertakes a new design path.
However, it was forced to delay the introduction as the race was called off due to flooding in the area.
“Following the cancellation of the race in Imola, our thoughts are still with the people of the Emilia-Romagna region that have been affected by the terrible flooding,” Wolff said.
“We have been saddened by the images but inspired by the rescue work of the emergency services and the resilience shown by the communities.
“We look forward to returning to Imola in happier circumstances next year.”
Mercedes clarified that it wouldn’t postpone the upgrades until after Monaco and will arrive at the prestigious race weekend with new parts, despite the unique layout of the circuit.
However, Wolff asserted that it will not bring about a drastic change to Mercedes’ competitive level.
“The revised calendar means that Monaco is now the starting point of the European leg of the season,” he said.
“It is a unique event but will still provide an opportunity to learn about the upgrades to W14 – but we also need to be careful not to draw too many conclusions from this one event. We are introducing the first step in a new development direction.
“It won’t be a silver bullet; from my experience, they do not exist in our sport.
“We hope that it gives the drivers a more stable and predictable platform. Then we can build on that in the weeks and months ahead.
“F1 is tough competition and a meritocracy. We are not where we want to be but there’s no sense of entitlement. It’s just about hard work to get us to the front.”
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