Wolff warns: 'Gap to Red Bull and Ferrari may be unchanged'

Wolff is convinced that Mercedes has now taken the leak. Despite suggestions that the team would finally release the concept to which it has so steadfastly adhered, the Austrian hints at a similar design for the 2023 W14. Initial tests will reveal whether the team has "unlocked the potential that has always been in the car".

Wolff still sees potential in concept W13

"We have no doubt, when you're starting behind by half a second, that it's going to be difficult to catch up to such great organisations like Red Bull, or Ferrari," Wolff is quoted by Motorsport.com. "Having said that, we are super determined in doing just that. But we need to set our expectations at a realistic level."

The Mercedes team boss still believes in the potential he saw in the concept of the W13, so it does not seem as if the German racing stable is ready to completely abandon it. Wolff believes that if the new car lives up to expectations, it will be able to compete at the front again. However, he stresses that the team is not taking this for granted and the gap to the competition could just be unchanged from 2022.