“We have stopped the development”– Mercedes will be making no further developments in their car ahead of any races this year.
Mercedes had turned the season’s momentum towards themselves after making its last upgrades before the British Grand Prix, which made them win that race and get a P2 in Hungary.
These two points haul made them overtake Red Bull in the championship, but Toto Wolff now comments that his team will not be making any further developments.
“No, until the end of the year we don’t come up with aerodynamic updates,” team boss Toto Wolff told Italy’s Autosprint. “We have stopped the development of our current car for months.”
“The last update we finished in the spring was used at the British Grand Prix. Those changes have worked out well, improving our performance. We have made a step forward and we have confidence in the second part of the season.”
Red Bull’s ambitions wouldn’t sway Mercedes
Wolff then maintained that his team would not be swayed by Red Bull’s ambitions, who admitted that they would keep on upgrading their car to win the championship this season.
“There is an important battle, but you have to always look at the short- and long-term and try to find the balance,” he said. “The regulations from next year are going to have a very big impact and that regulation is going to count for longer than just a championship.”
“That’s a factor that should not be forgotten. If you’re behind next season, it could take a very long time to close the gap in the competition,” he added.
“That is why we are sticking to our chosen strategy to continue development [for] next year. We will never change our strategy due to external factors or those of other teams.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull’s boss Christian Horner said that his team’s ambition for 2021 is in no way compromising the prospects of 2022, contrasting Wolff’s viewpoint.
