Toto Wolff hopes the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team can build on their recent momentum this weekend in Austria, at a circuit that he feels should suit their upgraded W14 better than the previous round in Canada.
Although George Russell was forced to retire from the race at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Lewis Hamilton gave Mercedes a boost by securing a podium finish in third place, and Team Principal Wolff believes the car should perform even better at the Red Bull Ring.
“There were plenty of positives to take from the last race in Canada,” Wolff said. “Although we didn’t get both cars to the chequered flag, a podium was a solid result and we saw encouraging signs from our updated package.
“We will aim to build on the momentum we have generated over the past two races and continue our positive trajectory with the car. It’s a venue where the W14 should perform better than in Canada, but we won’t take anything for granted.
“As always, we will be working hard to maximise our performance and deliver strong results.”
For Wolff, the Austrian Grand Prix is a home event, and he has many a good memory of the Red Bull Ring, and he hopes to add more special memories this weekend in what will be the second of six sprint race weekends during the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship season.
“Austria is always a special weekend, as it’s my home race and I have good memories from the track; both with the team but also from my early years racing there and teaching as an instructor,” he said. “It’s also the second Sprint of the season so it will be interesting to see the impact it has on the weekend, at a more traditional circuit.
“It’s a short lap in Spielberg and looks straightforward on paper; several long straights broken up by a range of slow, medium-speed and fast corners. But it’s a challenging one to put together and get right.”
