Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has revealed when the Silver Arrows stopped developing the aero package of their 2021 challenger, the W12.
Sweeping regulation changes will come into effect next season, and most teams have already shifted focus to 2022 as they want to be as competitive as possible in the new era of Formula 1.
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Mercedes’ 2021 car initially proved to be well off the pace of the Red Bull RB16B, but the Brackley-based team quickly managed to get on top of its weaknesses and are now roughly on par with Red Bull.
In a recent interview, Wolff revealed that they stopped developing the W12’s aero package a “long time ago.”
“In terms of aerodynamic development, we stopped a long time ago,” the Austrian said.
“The last development stopped in spring and the last upgrade that was then produced we brought to Silverstone, and that upgrade functions. We have made a step forward,” he added.
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Earlier this month, Wolff said that Formula 1 needs Ferrari to be back in the Championship fight next year, and he suggested a cluster of teams could be strong enough to compete at the sharp end of the field.
“We need Ferrari in the fight,” Wolff said.
“This [2022] needs to be a Championship where there are four or five teams that can win, that compete against each other, and Ferrari need to be right there.
“They have a good driver line-up. They have recovered from last year and I expect them to be right there next year with us – hopefully – Red Bull, McLaren, Aston Martin and Alpine and whoever because that will make the championships just so much more interesting for the spectators,” he added.
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