Toto Wolff is intrigued by the impact of hosting a Formula 1 Sprint race on a more "traditional circuit" at the Austrian Grand Prix. The race at the Red Bull Ring is Wolff's home event, but one at which Mercedes have a mixed record in recent years, including the famous 2016 last lap clash between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg and a double DNF in 2018, although they do have six wins on their record. It will also be the second of six Sprint races in 2023, following from Azerbaijan, which was a relatively quiet affair, with Wolff interested in how Saturday's action will play out.
Wolff's Austria intrigue
"Austria is always a special weekend, as it's my home race and I have good memories from the track; both with the team but also from my early years racing there and teaching as an instructor," Wolff explained. "It's also the second Sprint of the season so it will be interesting to see the impact it has on the weekend, at a more traditional circuit. "It's a short lap in Spielberg and looks straightforward on paper; several long straights broken up by a range of slow, medium-speed and fast corners. "But it's a challenging one to put together and get right." After struggling with the W14 in the early part of the season, Mercedes' conventional upgrades have worked well in recent races, including a two-three in Spain and a third for Hamilton in Canada. And Wolff is optimistic that the short, high-speed circuit could aid Mercedes' challenge. "We will aim to build on the momentum we have generated over the past two races and continue our positive trajectory with the car," said Wolff. "It's a venue where the W14 should perform better than in Canada, but we won't take anything for granted. "As always, we will be working hard to maximise our performance and deliver strong results. "There were plenty of positives to take from the last race in Canada. Although we didn't get both cars to the chequered flag, a podium was a solid result and we saw encouraging signs from our updated package."
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