Toto Wolff has acknowledged that Mercedes’ W15 has been a mixed bag this season, showing moments of brilliance but struggling to find consistent performance across races. Despite victories in Austria, Britain, and Belgium, the team continues to battle the ongoing issues introduced by the 2022 Formula 1 regulations. However, Wolff is adamant that Mercedes won’t abandon the W15 to focus solely on the major regulation changes for 2026. Instead, the team will push hard to improve the car for the remainder of this season and lay the groundwork for 2025.
Speaking ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Wolff reflected on the ups and downs of the W15 but maintained a positive outlook. “This weekend marks the start of an intense run to the end of the year,” Wolff said in the team’s race preview. “We have six races over the next eight weeks, ending with the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Although we are not in contention for the championships, there is still plenty to fight for and the opportunity to create a few highlights along the way.”
With Lewis Hamilton set to leave the team at the end of the season, Wolff emphasized the importance of finishing strong, both for Hamilton and for building momentum into 2025. “We want to end this year as strongly as possible and bid farewell to Lewis in the best way possible,” he added.
In line with his earlier comments, Wolff reiterated that Mercedes has been relentlessly analyzing its performance since the Singapore GP to bring improvements to the W15. The team will introduce its final update package of the season in Texas, aiming to close the gap to the front-runners. “We bring our final update package of the season to Texas, and our aim is to close the gap to the front. It will also provide useful information that will help guide our development direction for 2025,” Wolff stated.
However, introducing this new package won’t be straightforward. The US Grand Prix will be run under the Sprint format, leaving only a single practice session to dial in the car. “The Sprint format returns this weekend, and we will have to be at our best to introduce the update package effectively,” Wolff noted. The limited track time combined with the challenges of Circuit of the Americas’ high-speed layout and bumpy surface could present difficulties for Mercedes, as last year’s race proved troublesome for the team.
“The Circuit of the Americas is a fantastic track but one that caught us out last year. Its high-speed layout, combined with its bumpy surface, makes it a challenge for both the car and driver,” Wolff explained. Despite the difficulties, he remains optimistic: “It is one we are looking forward to.”
With only a handful of races left, Mercedes aims to not only close out 2024 with strong results but also set the tone for a more competitive 2025 season.
