Toto Wolff aspires to revive the glorious era of Mercedes under the 2026 regulations for Formula 1. After the loss in the 2021 F1 world championship, Mercedes has been going through a tough period. They have only managed to win one race in the last two seasons under the aerodynamic regulations era and have remained winless in the 2023 season. Coming into this year, the team had hopes of a comeback, but unfortunately, the W15 car has proven to be yet another challenging below-average performer after the first two races of the season.
During the opening race at the Bahrain GP, the drivers faced significant difficulties. The car’s performance did not meet the usual Mercedes standards, and the team urgently needs to make changes. According to the team principal, a recovery before the introduction of the new regulations is highly unlikely. Therefore, the team is banking on the 2026 regulations and aims to build a car as capable as the ones that propelled Lewis Hamilton to dominance from 2014 to 2020.
Wolff expressed these thoughts when discussing the potential for Mercedes to become a suitable destination for a certain individual, emphasizing that having superior machines would help attract their services. Mercedes seems to have recognized that they cannot match Red Bull under the current rules, and their best option is to wait patiently and develop better cars for the future.
Mercedes has had a challenging start to their season with the introduction of the new W15 car. Their hopes were shattered when they faced significant issues with the car’s performance. The team is currently working hard to understand the root cause of these problems. In addressing these issues, it was acknowledged that they have not yet identified the fundamental flaw in the car that is negatively impacting their season.
The Mercedes drivers were dealing with balance issues at various speed ranges and expressed concerns about a performance deficit at high speeds. Mercedes will need to address these issues to make a strong comeback at the Australian GP. Fortunately, the two-week break after the Saudi Arabian GP may provide enough time to rectify the situation.
