Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed what exactly the Silver Arrows will be introducing at the Emilia Romagna Grand prix, as the side prepare to unleash a huge upgrade package.
Mercedes’ Imola upgrades are reportedly going to see the W14 looking drastically different, due to a new concept which is expected to see the ‘zero sidepods’ disappear.
So much has been said about the new upgrades already, with most pundits expecting this to be Mercedes’ make or break moment for the campaign.
Wolff is aware, though, that expectations must be managed, with him knowing that the Germans won’t be suddenly driving “circles around Red Bull”.
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“Yeah, the target is Imola,” Wolff confirmed.
“We just need to manage everybody’s expectation because we’re talking so much about that upgrade, we’re not going to put it down on the track and then drive circles around Red Bull, but it’s going be a good baseline I think.”
The budget cap has also impacted just how much Mercedes have been able to work on, with Wolff openly admitting that more would’ve been updated had they been “completely free”.
Despite that, the Mercedes boss has revealed what exactly Mercedes will be taking to Imola.
“If we were completely free, we would bring a different chassis,” said Wolff. “And so what we have to decide really carefully is what we want to upgrade.
“So we’re bringing a new front suspension, and then the aero upgrade that comes with it, and floor.
“If we were free, we would probably bring double the amount of upgrades, but so would the others.
“As it’s a relative game, you just need to be clever in taking the right decisions that bring the optimum amount of performance.”
The aim for the new upgrades is to give George Russell and Lewis Hamilton a car more stable in the rear, with both drivers seemingly having little confidence as things stand when entering a corner.
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Once that has been fixed, then Wolff is confident that the Silver Arrows can make similar progress to last season.
“If we get the platform right, it is less about adding 10 points of downforce, and more about giving the drivers a car that when they turn the wheel into the corner they actually know the rear doesn’t overtake them. That’s the problem,” said Wolff.
“Then we can catch up, as we did last year.”