Toto Wolff rejects 'Bambi' idea as McLaren example highlighted

Toto Wolff believes Mercedes is not "Bambi in the headlights," as he detailed a McLaren example he feels should be followed.

Mercedes has enjoyed its strongest start to the ground-effects era this season, with 141 points from six races and four podiums for George Russell, whilst Kimi Antonelli also bagged Sprint race pole in Miami.

Currently sitting in second place in the constructors' championship, the team is only behind McLaren, who has been challenging at the head of the F1 field ever since a major upgrade was delivered in the summer of 2023. 

The successful upgrade transformed it from a midfield runner to leading contender, resulting in title success last year.

Mercedes has struggled in the ground effects era, but Wolff insists the team is not "Bambi" - referring to the Disney character Deer, famous for its wobbly balance and high-pitched voice as he pointed to McLaren's example. 

"I think if you put a lot of emphasis on how you develop the car mechanically, then you will have an advantage," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365. 

"Two years ago in Austria, [McLaren] brought an update which was much better than they expected, and part of the development since then has been nurturing the tyres in the right way. 

"We just need to be better, to understand and need to find out where we need to focus our attention in terms of development and what the main performance contributors are and if we are completely on it. 

"So it is not like we are Bambi in the headlights, we are on it and we are in there, we're just trying to find out. We are experimenting and definitely going to be able to challenge."