Doubts raised about Wolff's positivity: "Mercedes has been confident before, and they still got a surprise"

Gary Anderson is not immediately convinced that the Mercedes team will make a significant step forward in Imola with their update package. The journalist knows where Mercedes intends to make changes to the W14, but he also sees plenty of pitfalls for the German team. Therefore, Anderson believes it would be wise for the Brackley-based team not to expect too much from the package. After all, Toto Wolff has previously also been very positive about the progress Mercedes had made.

According to their own statements, Mercedes has extensively revised the concept of the W14. The German racing team still does not fully understand their own car and has looked at the solutions of other teams. However, the question is whether copying is the best idea. "If you could do it based on photos and copy it in detail, it wouldn't be wrong to mimic Red Bull," Anderson writes for The Race. "But if you copy, you will always just be playing catch-up. So you have to do more than that."

It is clear that, like Red Bull, Mercedes wants to lower the car significantly. "The question is whether the team actually has control over that." The team is encountering the limits of the rigidity of the current regulations. "Mercedes cannot do much about the geometry of the rear suspension since the gearbox design has been homologated for the season under the current rules, and there is currently no plan to change that. Perhaps that is something for 2024."

Anderson questions Mercedes' words

Anderson also comments on Wolff's recent statements in the media. The team principal of the eight-time constructors' champion has never hidden his dissatisfaction with the W14, but Anderson compares that to the strong words of Laurent Rossi about the Alpine team. Moreover, Wolff does not believe in miracles, but the Austrian expects Mercedes to make a significant step forward right away.

"Where have I heard that before?" Anderson wonders aloud. The journalist is not immediately convinced that the wind tunnel figures will translate to the track. "Progress is not like a light switch; it's more like a dimmer that gets brighter every time you take the car out. Mercedes is clearly confident about this change in direction, but let's see what Imola, Monaco and Barcelona bring before drawing conclusions about the steps they have taken. After all, Mercedes has been confident before, and they still got a surprise."