'We want to do it right' - Mercedes rule out upgrades before Imola
The team have started the process of redesigning Lewis Hamilton and George Russell's troubled W14 after Mercedes boss Toto Wolff accepted his side would need to abandon their unconventional sidepod concept in order to get back to the front.
Mercedes have been blow away by Red Bull at the opening two rounds, while they have also been beaten by customer team Aston Martin and face stiff competition from Ferrari.
There had been suggestions that Mercedes would introduce a major upgrade package at either one of the upcoming races in Baku or Miami, but Wolff has now confirmed there will be no performance updates until Imola in late May.
“We are doing good steps, good developments, but you’ve got to run them, confirm them, produce them,” Wolff told Sky.
“So I think we are not looking for introduction before Imola. We want to do it right also.
“That’s going in a good direction, but we shouldn’t expect a miracle where suddenly we are on pole by half a second.
“I think it’s more consolidating our place between Ferrari, Aston Martin and us. That would be a good step.”
Until updates arrive, Wolff said Mercedes’ focus will be on fine-tuning their current package.
“The next three races we won’t be adding any performance,” he explained.
“It’s [about] finding the best set-up solutions and getting the tyre in the right window.”
After enduring a torrid start to the year, Mercedes now have a “clear path” for development, according to Wolff.
“I think we had a bit of a moment where it became so much clearer after the Bahrain race,” he said.
“We were trying to make something work which we really weren’t able to unlock and now the path is clear.
“It’s not going to be easy and it’s going to take time but we know where we are heading to.”
