Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said that Ferrari could benefit from the upcoming FIA technical directive at this weekend’s Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
The highly anticipated directive, TD018, will see a clampdown on the flexibility of front wings under heavy load, potentially shifting performance advantages away from teams that have previously benefitted from them.
Ferrari’s Team Principal Fred Vasseur has said that the Scuderia has been working on its revised wing to comply with the new rules “for ages,” and Wolff believes that it could be the Italian giants that could gain an advatnage.
Despite conducting longstanding work on a new wing, Wolff has theorised that its current design may see Ferrari improve and reduce its gap to the McLarens.
“I think what we have seen is that Ferrari was probably most conservative on flexi-wings,” the Austrian told Sky F1.
“What it’s going to do on the pecking order is something we need to look at. I’m not sure it will, but another angle of curiosity and I don’t know how it’s going to go.”
Mercedes looking to ‘get back on track’ after Monaco horror show
Wolff wrote in his usual pre-race preview for Mercedes that the team is looking to get back onto a positive course after its nightmare weekend in Monaco.
Both George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli failed to make it out of Q2 due to a technical error and crash damage respectively, leaving them in a hopeless position in the race.
“We will be looking to get back on track in Barcelona this weekend,” Wolff stated.
“It is a circuit that provides a good test of a car, with a mixture of low, medium, and high-speed corners. That will be useful for assessing our recent updates and our position relative to our competitors as we move into the second third of the season.
“With 16 races left, there is a long way to go. The team is still pushing to find performance and this weekend’s updated front wing technical directive will provide another level of intrigue.
“We are focused on ourselves though and looking forward to having the opportunity to do a better job than we have done at the last two races.”
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