Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has revealed his team are prepared to play the "long game" as they target a fight back against Red Bull after a disappointing 2022. The Silver Arrows have endured a difficult campaign, having struggled to adapt to strict new FIA vehicle regulations.
This has seen the Silver Arrows miss out on the constructors' championship for the first time since 2013, having won eight straight Formula 1 titles. Mercedes' loss has been Red Bull's gain, after they were crowned champions in the United States last month.
Amid their struggles, Wolff and his colleagues will no doubt be keen to bounce straight back in 2023, but the team principal is more than aware that their recovery will take time.
Wolff told Sky Sports : "We're playing the long game here, all of us. The judge around the team, of performance, is not based on a single year or weekend. It's how we have been able to win championships over the long term."
There is no doubt the car has been the problem for the Silver Arrows during their 2022 struggles, and the Austrian boss went on to admit that is where changes will be made in order to return to success next year. "The DNA of the car is going to change for next year, it's clear," said Wolff.
"It doesn't necessarily mean that the bodywork is going to look very different but certainly what is part of the DNA of the car with the architecture will change for next year. Certainly, were we to go back 12 months, we would be a lot wiser and a lot better informed about what sort of car we want to develop.
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.One man who has felt the effects of Mercedes problems is star man Lewis Hamilton.
Going into detail on the issues, Hamilton revealed: ""Bouncing was the dominant one [problem] and the most visible. But the aero characteristics are difficult… the stiffness of the car to the point where the suspension is pretty useless, stiffer than the tyres.
"Drag is a huge problem for us. When we get to a certain speed that's when other people are pulling away. It's when you brake and the front dips and the rear comes up and the aero transfers during that period and when you get on the power."
