Toto Wolff Hopes to Bounce Back in Japan Despite the Risk of Exposing W15’s Achilles’ Heel

Credits: IMAGO Eibner

For the first time since 2018 in Austria, Mercedes suffered a double DNF in the recently concluded Australian GP. However, team principal Toto Wolff expects the Silver Arrows to bounce back at the upcoming Japanese GP. That is despite the risk of the Suzuka circuit leaving the W15’s biggest weakness exposed. Toto Wolff, as quoted by F1 Maximaal, recently said,

“The height difference provides a different challenge than on the circuits we have driven so far. It provides a good opportunity to apply the things we have been researching and analyzing since Australia. The fact that we are going to Japan much earlier than in other years may not have a major impact, but we need to understand the consequences for the track conditions. In any case, the atmosphere in Suzuka is always great, and I’m sure that will be the case again this year.”

Mercedes made a promising launch of the W15 with a complete overhaul of the previous design philosophy. From the ‘P’ shaped side pods to a controversial front wing design, the intention to cause disruption was clear.

However, the results so far have failed to meet the hype. The circuits so far, to add insult to injury, have given the Brackley engineers a new headache. That is, to tackle the high-speed corners- ones that Suzuka has plenty of. This area has cost Mercedes dearly, leading to McLaren taking the spot of third fastest so far.

If the Saudi Arabian GP is taken as an example. then one would have seen how Lewis Hamilton was locked in an epic battle with Lando Norris. Just as the 39-year-old began to catch up to his fellow Brit, Norris pulled far ahead, making the most of the MCL38’s superior cornering speeds.

Mercedes needs to do a lot more than just make the W15 quicker

George Russell has comprehensively beaten Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton ever since the 39-year-old announced his impending move to Ferrari. Even in the press conferences, Hamilton appears to be not as motivated as he was in 2023.

Former Ferrari manager Peter Windsor believes the underperformance is deliberate on the seven-time champion’s part. Windsor, in his post-Australian GP qualifying analysis, said,

“Lewis didn’t make it into Q3. George did. And you could say as I’ve been saying well you know Lewis isn’t going to put it absolutely 100% on the line unless the car feels pretty good now. He’s got his Ferrari career ahead of him. He can relax, enjoy, and give it everything he wants when he feels right.”

If the assumption is true, Toto Wolff needs to pull up his socks. The need to keep Hamilton focused and motivated is now more than ever.

While Mercedes looks nowhere near to competing for wins at the moment, the team needs to build on the platform they have created for next year’s car. For that, they need input from both drivers who are pushing the W15 to its limits.