Toto Wolff plans to mirror Red Bull's development plans in an admission of defeat in his team's bid to tame their 2023 car.
Mercedes are no stranger to having a "diva" car on their hands. That was the nickname Wolff gave to their 2017 car, the W08, as it was more temperamental compared to its predecessors – even though it still won the championship that year.
That was one of eight constructors' titles in a row, but the Silver Arrows are no longer top dogs these days. Red Bull are the dominant force on the Formula 1 grid and Mercedes have created two frustratingly unpredictable cars in as many seasons.
Last year's W13 won just one race, in Brazil, and was a long way off championship contention. The W14 in use this term began as an evolution of that machine and retained the 'zeropod' concept – until it was finally abandoned in May.
A more conventional aerodynamic design helped them to secure good results in Spain and Canada, before underwhelming weekends in Austria and last Sunday at the British Grand Prix.
Wolff was confident of a much stronger result last time out, but again bemoaned how difficult it is to predict how the W14 will get on. "Overall, the car was not where we've seen it at Silverstone in the last [few] years, a track where we have been really dominant and strong," he said.
"The high speed was not good at all compared to our direct competitors, and in qualifying, we were also struggling with traction on the exits, so overall, the car remains a handful. Maybe there's another track where we have the best shot [of winning] because the characteristics of the car have changed."
And, in a nod back to that 2017 car, Wolff placed his team's current machine in the same category, adding: "I have always believed we can beat Max. We have a good group of people, the best drivers, and we just have to give them a car that is more predictable and not the diva 2.0 – and much more complicated than the first one."
With both titles seemingly already in their grasp for this season, championship leaders Red Bull have already begun to focus most of their development efforts on their 2024 car. Given the unpredictability of their current machine, Wolff suggested his team will follow suit.
He said: "P2, P3 [in the championship], fundamentally doesn't impact me and the team. It's about coming back and being able to win a world championship and, in that respect, that's not going to happen this year.
"So we need to set our eyes on to next year, and with all the races to come, to learn, develop and make sure that we can carry that forward into next year. But having said that, the regulations are the same so you're not learning nothing by continuing with this car. It's a balance that we need to strike right."
