Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes plan to ensure Lewis Hamilton isn’t fighting the midfield

Mercedes have struggled to defeat all of their customer teams this season, having recently been beaten by McLaren at the British GP.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has admitted that the Silver Arrows will soon switch their focus to 2024, with the side currently “balancing” plans for next season whilst continuing to develop the W14.

The Brackley-based team endured another mixed weekend at the British Grand Prix, which ended with Lewis Hamilton on the podium.

Concerningly, Mercedes were third in the pecking order at the Silverstone International Circuit, with McLaren having made a huge stride following recent upgrades.

The Mercedes customer team were second in the pecking order, something Hamilton admitted was a “wake-up call”.

Want to work in Formula 1? Browse the latest F1 job vacancies

Hamilton is keen for the Germans to focus purely on 2024 to try and catch Red Bull next season; however, Wolff isn’t ready for Mercedes to do this just yet.

“When I asked Niki [Lauda, former Non-Executive Chairman] if we should focus on this year or next year he said ‘both’. So there’s a lot of learning that we have to do with that car,” Wolff told the media, including RacingNews365.com.

“Nevertheless, it’s pretty clear that many people will have shifted a large part of their development resource into next year.

“This is something we’re balancing at the moment, is there enough that we’re bringing onto the car?”

Article continues below

Wolff confirmed that more upgrades will be fitted to the W14 in the coming races, making the Austrian believe that Mercedes shouldn’t be forgetting about 2023 just yet.

“Things are coming onto the car in the next few races and a tenth can make a difference or two. So we really shouldn’t take our foot off the throttle,” added Wolff.

Despite this, the Mercedes boss is very much aware that they’ll have to start prioritising next season soon, especially as Wolff isn’t bothered if the Germans finish second or third in the Constructors’ Championship.

READ: Lando Norris says he’s open to leaving McLaren after Red Bull meeting

He admitted that this “fundamentally doesn’t impact” Mercedes, with their aim being to defeat Red Bull next season.

“I think pretty soon we [will] have no choice [than to switch focus],” Wolff admitted.

“This P2-P3 fundamentally doesn’t impact me and the team, it’s about coming back and being able to win a world championship in that respect.”