Wolff acknowledges that the Mercedes F1 team has been surpassed by competitors in ‘comparative competition’.

George Russell of Mercedes AMG F1 W15 competed in the Chinese Grand Prix, which took place on April 21, 2024. The team principal of Mercedes, Toto Wolff, believes that the team’s current position in the championship is a result of their recent struggles. He acknowledges that it is a “relative game” and that their competitors have made bigger improvements than they have. In the Chinese Grand Prix, Russell finished in sixth place and Lewis Hamilton managed to recover to ninth place after being eliminated in Q1. Russell was 25 seconds behind Lando Norris of McLaren, and Mercedes is now 44 points behind McLaren in the championship standings. Despite the setbacks, Wolff states that the pace of Mercedes has not regressed with their revised W15 car. However, the increased competitiveness of McLaren has made it more challenging for Mercedes to achieve the same level of success as before. Wolff mentions that the car is difficult to control and adjust, leading to fluctuations in performance. He also reveals that Mercedes will introduce improvements for the next race in Miami, hoping that they will lead to a significant improvement in competitiveness.