Wolff: No 'negative behaviour' from new-spec Mercedes car
Mercedes' long-awaited upgraded W14 car didn't tear up the tarmac in Friday's practice sessions in Monaco, but team boss Toto Wolff was happy to note that the new-spec car did not show any "negative behaviour".
Mercedes' significant updates evolved around a new front suspension and revised sidepods, with the team developing its car away from the thin, 'zero-sidepod' concept it introduced last year.
Lewis Hamilton concluded his day P6 and labeled the car an improvement thanks to its updates while George Russell was also upbeat about the car's prospects.
Wolff admitted that Monaco wasn't the best venue to assess a car's full upgrade package but the Austrian was relieved by the absence of negative feedback from his drivers or engineers.
"It's difficult with Monaco, really difficult to judge," Wolff said. "But at least we haven't seen any behaviour of the car that would have been deemed as really negative."
Asked if Hamilton and Russell had given the package a resounding seal of approval, Wolff said: "I've never heard a driver saying in Monaco that feels good!
"I think it's always on the knife's edge. You've seen that with Sainz. And therefore not lots of great praise, but definitely going in the right direction."
Wolff was quick to praise his team's crews and those back at Brackley who worked wonders to bring to life the W14's latest upgrades, describing the effort as "massive".
"You see the whole bodywork is different, front suspension, the floor is different," he commented.
"A mega job of everybody in Brackley to have delivered that, and now this is our new baseline and we have to work from here."
©Mercedes
Looking ahead at this weekend's round of racing in Monte Carlo, Wolff reckons that Red Bull and Verstappen remain the outright favourites.
"Max was in his own class on the long run," he said. "I think we're pretty close together on a single lap, at least today, but in the long run you see a car that has performance and has no degradation. They've done a good job."
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