Red Bull and McLaren have gained potential momentum ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, with Toto Wolff admitting the Mercedes W15 is not yet capable of winning every single race.
After almost two years of victories, Mercedes returned to the winner’s circle in recent weeks with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton triumphing in Austria and Great Britain respectively.
It is the first time Mercedes has won back-to-back races since the final weeks of the 2021 season, when Hamilton won three in a row in Brazil, Qatar and Saudi Arabia to set up a final showdown with Max Verstappen.
Despite the main difficulties with the ground effect regulations introduced in 2022, Mercedes from pole in the last two Hungary GPs, with Russell and Hamilton on pole in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Although Wolff believes Mercedes now has “momentum” heading into the double-header between Hungary and Belgium, the veteran team boss is convinced the W15 is fast enough to challenge for victory on all circuits.
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However, he also said that the team will continue to innovate until the summer break as Mercedes aims to close the gap to Red Bull and McLaren.
He said: “We head into the next double-header with momentum.
“We have continued to use the W15 in the last few races. This produced noticeable effects in Austria and Silverstone.
“However, we know that we still do not have a car capable of fighting for victory every weekend.
“The team is working hard to achieve more functionality milestones that we hope will allow us to achieve. These efforts will continue over the next two races and through closure. “
Wolff’s comments come after claiming that Verstappen, the three-time reigning world champion, deserves not to join Mercedes until the team can prove they are a compelling option for existing employers Red Bull, with the Silver Arrows still missing. in the path.
Mercedes are of late looking for Hamilton’s successor after the seven-time world champion announced he would sign with Ferrari on a multi-year deal starting in F1 2025, and Wolff has said in the past that he would “love” to sign Verstappen to upgrade him. .
He told the media, adding to PlanetF1. com: “We want two other people to clash in front to win right now.
“We still have to look at ourselves and say, ‘What can we do to have a car that can compete with those two in front and do it more consistently?'”
“And I think this is the moment where we can say that we can be a port or a destination for drivers,” Max added.
“But we’re not there yet, so if I were him, I wouldn’t make that move. Again. “
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