Toto Wolff: Red Bull ‘can put a little sticker’ on updated Mercedes if they want
Toto Wolff has spoken optimistically about the steps Mercedes are making with their upgraded W14, and if Red Bull are worried about the finished model looking similar to their car, they can “put a little sticker” on it if they so choose.
The Mercedes team principal elaborated by saying there is “no dogma” when it comes to the team looking at others and seeing which approach will yield the best results for them moving forwards, with Wolff having confirmed that significant changes are coming to their car over the course of the next seven races.
With Mercedes clearly eyeing possibilities beyond the ‘best of the rest’ tag behind a dominant Red Bull package as things stand, the team boss explained that the staff members back at their Brackley base are working as hard as they can to turn things around on that work in the pipeline.
“Well, the question is, what is your benchmark? If you look at the Red Bulls, they’re just so quick, that I think we understand the car more is what I meant,” Wolff said of Mercedes’ performance after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix to Sky Sports F1.
“I’m looking optimistic in the future because we just need to put it in a different window. We’re changing the bodywork of the car, how the floor works, all of these things mechanically.
“We’re looking at certain areas, and the team in Brackley is just flat out and that is really nice to see that we can monetise on the Sundays on that.”
PlanetF1.com recommends
Lewis Hamilton denies speculation of a rift with trainer Angela Cullen after surprise split
Nico Rosberg highlights the ‘massive job’ facing Mercedes: Small step back for a big one forward
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix: Sergio Perez wins but Max Verstappen keeps championship lead
A post-race penalty for Fernando Alonso promoted Mercedes’ George Russell onto the podium in the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton moving up from seventh to fifth in the race.
But when Wolff elaborated further on how the W14 would be changing moving forward, he said he did not care who invented the quickest way around the current Formula 1 regulations, arguing that however it looks, it will most likely end up on the Mercedes.
“I don’t know, you can call it Red Bull or Aston Martin concept, [but] at the end, if it looks like an English double decker bus, we would do it if it was fast – put a little sticker, Red Bull, if they want to have it on,” Wolff joked.
