General
Wolff states: 'Budget cap in our situation not so decisive'
- GPblog.com
Mercedes were about a second slower than Red Bull Racing in Bahrain in the longruns and that has opened the eyes of the German formation. Toto Wolff already announced that his team is likely to switch to a different concept, as it has become painfully clear that the W14 is not competitive enough. Helmut Marko foresees problems in this, but Wolff has tried to allay any concerns Mercedes fans may have.
Marko immediately expressed after hearing Wolff's words that such a project is not easy to realise. Apart from the fact that it takes a number of Grands Prix to have such a new car ready, the budget cap must also be respected. Red Bull's advisor stated that all the money now being put into redesigning parts cannot be invested in other areas.
Budget cap not a concern
At Mercedes, they have a different view, according to Wolff's words to Heute. "The budget cap is not so decisive in our situation. We just have to decide in which direction we want to go and put all our resources on that. We are still developing one car. The only question is which car."
What the top Austrian man means by this is that if Mercedes decides on a new concept, they would completely abandon the old design. It would therefore not cost any more money (than otherwise). After all, no two cars will be developed at the same time. The fact is, though, that Mercedes will first have to take a few steps backwards in order to then take bigger steps forward.
Hamilton balks at W14 and Mercedes
Lewis Hamilton was already critical of Mercedes after the Bahrain International Circuit Grand Prix. According to the seven-time World Champion, the current problems could have been avoided if he had been listened to better.