Are Mercedes actually improving in F1 2023? W14 “still a handful”

Me𓆉rcedes introduced a revised front wing for the British Grand Prix earlier this month, while they have been bringing regular upgrades to their car during the European run of races.
Despite this, Mercedes slipped behind McLaren in the pecking order at Silverstoneꩵ, while F⛄errari were quicker than them in Austria.
The Hungꦇarian Grand Pꦡrix this weekend poses a different challenge, with its tight and twisty nature aiding cars that perform better at low-speed.
Mercedes’ levꦅel of competitiveness is still unclear given𝓀 that they struggled, relative to the opposition, in a range of cornering speeds.
Speaking after the British GP, Wolff wasn’t too complimentary a𝔍bout this year’s W14.
“I think overall the car was not where we’ve seen it at Silverstone the last few years,” he said. “That was the ✱track where we were really dominant and strong and the high-speed was not good at all, compared to our competitors in qualifying we were also struggling with traction on the exits.
“Overall, the car remains to be a handful.”

Wolf✱f believes the fight for P2 will continue to swing back and forth depending on the track and upgrades.
“Whoever has pe🌳rformances that are track-specific, or due to an upgrade, they are able to just stay there at least,” he added. “Now we have the resurgence of McLaren, who were not competitive at the beginning of the year and that’s good to see.
“Because that means if you are taking the right decisions your car can jump up by a huge amount. On the other side, I don’t know what happened to Aston Martin and Ferrari, they made a step backwards. 🤡But overall, I think this result is no more than solid.”

With a sharp eye for F1’s co𝕴ntroversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our u☂nbiased reporting.