The empire strikes back: two wins in a row, four podiums, with 97 points from the triple header, nobody achieved more than Mercedes. McLaren managed 83 points, Red Bull 72, Ferrari 50. After years of drought, the former sole rulers of Formula 1 are finally back on the right track. Toto Wolff explains his wonder weapon and the plan to keep things going so well.
Wonder weapon: James Allison instead of Mercedes front wing
“Five races ago we weren’t even a candidate for the podium,” Toto Wolff explained Mercedes’ fear of not delivering in the third year of the ground effect era. Until Monaco and Canada, it looked like another disastrous season, even Wolff’s chair was wobbling. “And then it clicked! Suddenly everything that didn’t make sense made sense!”
As in the old days, the eight-time constructors’ champion can now further develop and improve the car, and the discrepancies in the correlation between the wind tunnel and the track seem to have been resolved. New parts have a direct effect on the lap time. “That hasn’t been the case in the last two years,” says the Mercedes boss happily.
“There was a moment when – led by James [Allison]the data and our deficit made sense,” explains Toto Wolff. From then on, things went up. “Especially in the way we balanced the car and brought it better into the sweet spot.”
However, the eye-catching front wing design that has been found on the W15 since Monaco (and in Canada on both) was not the panacea. “It was not a miracle front wing, but rather the balance that we improved,” said the Viennese.
The next updates, which have already been announced in Hungary and Spa, are now intended to further improve the W15. Despite a Mercedes that was good in all conditions at Silverstone and both cars were at the front, Toto Wolff briefly puts the brakes on the euphoria and warns: “On the other hand, we must not overdo it.”
Formula 1 is on a break this weekend. If you still want some racing action, you can attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed. You can find all the information here: