Ahead of this weekend’s FIA Formula 1 World Championship action at the United States Grand Prix, Toto Wolff has revealed that Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team will be delivering their final upgrade package to the W13 as the Brackley-based team firmly switches their attentions to the development of their 2023 challenger.
The Silver Arrows are yet to claim a race victory in 2022, and with just four races remaining in the season, Mercedes are at risk of finishing the season without a race victory to their name for the first time since 2012. It would also mean the first time in Lewis Hamilton‘s Formula 1 career that he has failed to win a race during a season.
Wolff was keen to stress that the team head into Austin looking to rebound from a tough run of performances in Singapore and Japan, where Wolff stated that the W13 wasn’t allowed to show it’s true potential across both race weekends due to the team’s failure to put both George Russell and Hamilton in clean air.
While the Mercedes Team Principal is keen for his team to chase their first win of the season in Austin, he also stated that with such little time left in the season, attentions within the team will also be heavily placed on the development of their 2023 car.
“The double-header in Singapore and Japan was a frustrating one for the team, as we didn’t put ourselves in the clean air we needed to maximise the race pace of the car. We want to end this season strongly and the results of the last two races only make us more determined to do so.
“We need to use the limited track time available to make strides forward for this season and generate as much learning as we can in the development race for 2023 – those two aims are one and the same.”
With the team delivering their final update package of the season at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend, Wolff is hopeful that the new developments to the W13 will allow the team to put on a show for the fans in Austin by closing the gap to Oracle Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari.
“Our final update package of the year will be brought to Austin. It won’t drastically change our fortunes but we’re hopeful it will bring us a step forward and closer to the front runners. Austin is a great city that we all love visiting. The Circuit of the Americas is a challenging track that often produces great racing, so we’re excited to be back this year and hopefully put on a great show for the fans.”
