Toto Wolff has shed light on the challenges Mercedes is facing, pinpointing discrepancies between their wind tunnel data and on-track performance as a key issue.
Despite a promising start to the season, the Silver Arrows, led by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who’s set to join Ferrari, have struggled to make their mark, accumulating a mere 26 points.
Previously, Mercedes had scrapped their unsuccessful ‘zeropod’ concept in favor of a new design philosophy for 2024. However, the anticipated improvements have yet to materialize, with their current W15 challenger proving finicky on the track despite promising data from the wind tunnel.
Wolff delved into the root of Mercedes’ struggles, citing a disconnect between their findings and the car’s actual performance. Despite addressing various potential issues such as suspension, gearbox carrier stiffness, and steering rack vibrations, the core problem persists: the data isn’t aligning with reality.
He elaborated, stating, “While we’ve tackled several potential culprits, the discrepancy between wind tunnel projections and on-track results remains a puzzle we’re actively working to solve.”
