Toto Wolff Remains Realistic In Championship Race - "We Are Playing Catch-Up"

As always, Toto Wolff remains realistic in the team's pursuits of another championship win.

The 2023 Mercedes contender is here in the shape of the all-black W14, and the team seems very optimistic about its battle to win the championship this year. Team principal Toto Wolff has calmed expectations, however, as he admits that while they've done everything they can, they're still "playing catch-up". 

Mercedes struggled during 2022 due to immense porpoising issues. This meant they couldn't utilise the full amounts of downforce the car was theoretically capable of. Thanks to this, the start of the Brackley-based team's year was slow. They found performance later in the year, but by that point, it was too late.

Now, the W14 acts as an evolution of the sidepod-less W13, and the team is adamant that they've solved the porpoising issues that plagued their last season. But despite this optimism, Wolff, as always, maintains a balanced attitude: 

"Our hopes and expectations are always to be capable of fighting for a World Championship. However, our competitors were very strong last year, and we are playing catch-up."

He adds that they will be fighting to extract every ounce of performance possible:

"Racing at the front requires resilience, teamwork, and determination. We face up to every challenge, we put the Team first, and we will leave no stone unturned in the chase for every millisecond. This year, we are going all in to get back in front." 

Fans have been overwhelmed by the return to a black car this year, and are now hoping it will be as fast as it looks.