At the start of the 2023 season, Lewis Hamilton didn’t hold back when outlining his concerns about the W14 to reporters.
The seven-time world champion was open in his irritation about the approach taken by the team’s engineers, believing they didn’t listen to him when designing the latest car.
The extended April break, due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, has allowed teams, including Mercedes, to return to their home bases.
“In terms of car development, it is encouraging to see that within three races, we understand the car much better, we have defined a clear direction where we need to go and I believe we are on the right trajectory,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff told Mercedes’ official website.
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“We need to consolidate our understanding and hopefully over the next few races we can make another step.
“It’s also important to keep on track and not oscillate too much between exuberance and depression; to stay rational and believe in our trajectory, believe in the capability of the team.
“There will be setbacks but there will also be upgrades and plenty of work that will help us get closer to the front.”
Ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Mercedes sits in P3 in the Constructors’ Standings with Lewis Hamilton in P4 in the Drivers’ title race.
Mercedes showed some potential to take the fight to Red Bull in Australia but were ultimately unsuccessful in halting the charging Max Verstappen, with Hamilton having to settle for P2 at the chequered flag.
“Baku is a very different track. It’s high speed on the straights and it’s always an entertaining race,” Wolff added.
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“We will consistently be bringing upgrades to the car over the next few races, which is something to look forward to.
“But there is no such thing as a magic bullet that transforms the car, and it’s about being realistic with your expectations.
“Hopefully we will see a steady improvement.”