Motorsport Images

Toto Wolff claims Mercedes has made ‘solid progress’ despite HORRENDOUS run with the W15

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Manmayee Joshi | Last updated 4/16/24

The team principal for Mercedes, Toto Wolff believes that, despite his team not being able to make the headlines for the right reasons this year, the outfit has overall made good progress with their W15. Mercedes has had an immense struggle since the start of the 2024 season.

Despite having good pre-season testing, the team has faced multiple issues during races with their challenger. The W15 was supposed to be better than its predecessors, however, that has not worked out.

From extreme bumping issues to having a double DNF at the Australian GP, it has proven to be the team’s worst nightmare. However, Toto Wolff has claimed that they have managed to work on the issues.

The changes to the format, including a second parc fermé, will be an improvement to the rhythm of the weekend - and the single hour of practice still puts pressure on to make correct decisions with imperfect information. We are looking forward to that test, though. The headline results didn't necessarily show it, but we made solid progress with our car in Japan. We are looking forward to building on that this weekend. Toto Wolff via Crashnet

Ahead of this week’s Chinese Grand Prix, Wolff thinks the weekend will be interesting. F1 is returning to Shanghai after five years and there are a lot of unknowns for Mercedes and the other teams. From unpredictable weather to the condition of the tarmac, the 10 F1 outfits are in for a surprise.

Toto Wolff is looking forward to the Chinese GP

With having a race weekend back in Shanghai after a long time, Toto Wolff is extremely excited and is really looking forward to the event. He believes that the whole three-day event will be sold out and everyone involved will have a great time.

While talking about the same with the media, he had the following to say.

As the world's largest automotive market and second biggest economy, China is crucial to the sport's global footprint. The growth of F1 in recent years has been positive and China is a key market in which to continue this progress.We are looking forward to racing in Shanghai for the first time in five years and bringing F1 back to the Chinese fans. With a sell-out crowd expected, I am sure it will be a fantastic event. Toto Wolff via Crashnet

Of course, the 52-year-old also has a fear of the unknown. With all the issues that Mercedes is currently dealing with on their challenger, and the added factor of a sprint format, the Chinese GP will be extremely challenging. However, Wolff is confident in the progress his team has made and is thus, optimistic regarding a solid result.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: