Toto Wolff has warned that Mercedes' upgrade package for the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix – brought as a response to the dominance of Red Bull – is unlikely to immediately bring "miracles". The squad have faced a difficult start to the 2023 F1 season, with the W14 unable to match the pace of the RB19. As a result, the Silver Arrows will bring updates to their car for Monaco, which had originally been planned for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix before the event was cancelled due to flooding in the region. While the impact of the new parts may be less clear when racing at a street track, Wolff admits that the team had to make a rapid response in order to try to close the gap to Red Bull.
Wolff on Mercedes' Red Bull response
"Of course we would have liked to see how we would have done with the new car [at Imola]," Wolff told Austrian outlet OE24 . "When you completely rework a car, you want to know what the upgrade package can do." When asked whether the team will be able to challenge Red Bull, Wolff explained: "Unfortunately that won't happen so quickly. But I'm hoping for a step forward. "We had to react to the superiority of Red Bull. Because we couldn't find a solution to make the old car fast at the front and rear, we rebuilt the underbody, bodywork and front suspension."
Upgrade can result in 'a few less problems' for Mercedes
While Wolff is not expecting immediate results from Mercedes' upgrade, he remains hopeful that it can help the team to have "less problems" with their car. "There are no miracles in Formula 1," he added. "We won't go half a second faster now, but hopefully we have a few less problems and can continue to work with a competitive car. So far it has been too stiff and stubborn." The outcome from the Silver Arrows' changes may not become clear in Monaco, but Wolff is still looking forward to the race. "Monaco has nothing to do with a conventional race track," the Team Principal said. "That's why we won't know next weekend whether what we've changed on the car really makes a difference. So it remains exciting."
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