Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has outlined that the team’s main aspiration in the remaining rounds in the 2024 Formula 1 season is to claim third in both championships.
The marque entered the ongoing campaign optimistic that an overhauled car concept had seen it eradicate the recalcitrant tendencies that hindered its predecessors.
However, Mercedes endured a setback in the nascent events as it struggled with an inconsistent W15 which was unable to deliver on occasional promising moments.
But Wolff has revealed that Mercedes remained optimistic in that period as it was convinced it had eliminated a vast number of the issues that plagued it last season.
“The start of the season was difficult,” Wolff conceded.
“Our aim over the winter had been to solve the underlying issues that hampered the W14. We managed that but found new problems.
“This also made the picture clearer. We had ticked many boxes of things we thought had caused our issues. There was not a lot left over, therefore.
“The team worked hard to get on top of these issues. As we progressed, we realised what we were doing wrong. From that point on, we’ve made solid steps forward.”
Mercedes has since unlocked a breakthrough with relentless upgrades catapulting the side into a place where it has taken three victories in five races up to the break.
Wolff has divulged that he was certain Mercedes was back on the right track when initial upgrades to the car started to deliver on the promise seen in the wind tunnel.
“We saw that in China. Lewis’ [Hamilton] Sprint P2 was a strong performance and a good indication of the potential the W15 had,” he continued. “It was encouraging.
“When we got to Europe, those signs kept coming. We saw a real correlation between the virtual world, the tunnel, the simulator and the track.
“It was a sense of relief but also motivating. We knew what performance we had to bring to the track.
“The factory worked incredibly hard to bring this as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“Pole in Canada [through George Russell] did not come as a surprise to us, therefore.
“We started to see many sessions that looked positive, not just on Friday when the track was green and where we had been misled in the past.
“That has resulted in an upturn in fortunes. Three victories in the past four races is testament to that.
“It has come from a lot of hard work and dedication from everyone at Brackley and Brixworth.
“The difference now from the start of the season therefore is that we have a car that can score solid points every week. We also have two top drivers that are able to make that happen.
“We have more work to do to be in the fight for victory every weekend. We have made good steps forward and we have a car that can perform near the front of the field.”
But although the turnaround has come too late to mount a title challenge, Mercedes’ recent big point hauls have seen it close to 79 points behind a regressing Ferrari.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton’s wins in Britain and Belgium have elevated him to sixth place in the Drivers’ Championship, 27 points behind third-placed Charles Leclerc.
Wolff has admitted that it would be premature to make predictions on the rounds ahead, but the Austrian believes that a double top-three finish is a realistic ambition.
“It is difficult to say what will happen in the final 10 races,” Wolff previewed. “The competitive order between the top four is close.
“That is a good thing though as it is making the sport incredibly exciting. We will be pushing hard to fight for more victories and aiming to get top three in both championships.”
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