F1 News: Toto Wolff Addresses Upcoming Miami Upgrades After China Difficulties

Following a challenging Grand Prix in China for Mercedes, Toto Wolff spoke candidly about the team’s performance issues and the anticipated upgrades for the upcoming Miami Grand Prix. Wolff remains hopeful that these changes will significantly enhance the car’s competitiveness.

The Chinese Grand Prix left much to be desired from the perspective of Mercedes, as both their cars struggled to keep pace with the leading pack, culminating in a modest ninth-place finish for Lewis Hamilton and a sixth-place finish for teammate George Russell. Team Principal Toto Wolff provided insights into the difficulties faced and the steps being taken to address these concerns ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.

Acknowledging the team’s less-than-ideal performance, Wolff expressed concerns over the pace and efficiency of the Mercedes cars in Shanghai to Sky Sports F1;

“I think considering where we put the cars altogether, drivers and team, was not a good position for today. Not good enough overall.

“Lacking pace. We have got to dig deep. We have got something coming for Miami that looks like a good step, let’s see where that brings us out.”

He admitted that the team had taken some aggressive experimental approaches with Hamilton’s setup, which unfortunately did not pay off.

“It’s not an OK car. We can see what the mistakes are on the car. We wanted to go a bit more aggressive to see if it was something so different we needed to do on that car and you can see Lewis today took it on him, that was maybe a step too far.”

This experimental strategy left Hamilton battling at the back for most of the race, with the 7-time world champion himself remarking on the lack of performance throughout the race.

Despite these setbacks, there’s optimism within the team, spurred by the forthcoming upgrades set to be introduced at the Miami Grand Prix. Asked about how much this could bring to the Brackley squad, Toto offered a little information:

“Let’s see. Hopefully a bit.”

Hamilton, reflecting on his surge up the pack, looks forward to the changes coming when the F1 circuit hits the United States.

“I’m grateful to get into the points. I didn’t expect a lot more this weekend.

“Hopefully we have a step forward coming at the next race. Until then, we will be back at the factory next week and try and position the car better for Miami and have a better weekend.”