The second race of the 2023 Formula 1 season is this weekend, as the circuit heads to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. One of the major storylines to track this week is whether Mercedes can bounce back from what Team Principal Toto Wolff called one of the “worst days” for the team after their struggles in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.
Mercedes bringing ‘small developments’ to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff previewed the week ahead for the team in Saudi Arabia
Photo by Bryn Lennon - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Mark Schofield is a former college quarterback and attorney covering the NFL and F1.
Previewing the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the media ahead of the week, Wolff outlined for the media, including SB Nation, his expectations for both the short term and the long term. “Since Bahrain, we have had open and honest discussion from which we started to plan our fight back. In the short term, leaving no stone unturned in the search for performance,” Wolff explained. “In the longer term, focusing our development to determine how we get to the front. I’ve already felt the energy and determination in the factory and know that will continue moving forward.”
As that process unfolds, Wolff is confident that the team can get every “millisecond” of performance out of the W14, their challenger for the 2023 season. His reasons for that confidence? Their drivers: Lewis Hamilton, and George Russell.
“Anything can happen in motor racing, so we’ll be working in Jeddah to maximise every part of our performance, chasing every point, every position, and every millisecond,” Wolff stated. “That’s one of the huge strengths of our driver line-up with Lewis and George. We are racers and giving everything we’ve got, every time we go on track.”
However, fans hoping to see an immediate turnaround might be disappointed, as Wolff cautioned that the process will take time, and wholesale changes to the W14 are not in the works, at least not yet. “We are bringing some small developments to the car,” he outlined. “They won’t be game changers, but they can start moving us in the right direction. And we’ll be pushing as hard as we can to create opportunities, and hopefully will give us a better account of ourselves than in Bahrain.”
Mercedes will get their first look at how the W14 handles the Jeddah Corniche Circuit this Friday, as practices get underway for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
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