Toto Wolff shares Mercedes 'relief' over crucial F1 car discovery

Toto Wolff has stated the Mercedes squad found relief in having a car that hit the ground running at pre-season testing.

The Brackley-based squad endured a difficult run during the previous cycle of technical regulations, which were introduced in 2022.

However, the rules have gone through another significant shift this season, with changes made to both the power unit and the aerodynamic components.

Mercedes logged more mileage than any other squad during the pre-season period and has been backed by many to commence the year at the head of the pecking order.

As it seeks to return to a compeititve position, Wolff acknowledged its preparations for the upcoming season has differed greatly from previous years.

"It's a relief that we started testing and it actually feels decent," Wolff told media including RacingNews365.

"The drivers are quite pleased with the car.

"On the stopwatch, we know that we are not miles off, and that was the case in all of the last three or four years that we had."

The season will commence next weekend at the Australian Grand Prix, where questions over the pecking order will finally be answered.

Whilst Wolff is none the wiser over where Mercedes is stacking up, the Austrian is confident his squad is at least in a position to compete at the front of the grid.

"We don't really know where everybody stands, because 10 kilogrammes of fuel load can make three to three and a half tenths of a second in lap time difference,” he said.

"You can kind of best guess where everybody is. I would say it's four teams at the moment, pretty much the usual suspects.

"I would think we are part of the group that can compete at the front."