Mercedes aiming to 'build on momentum' in Austria

Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff says the Brackley squad will be aiming to carry forward in Austria this weekend the strong momentum it displayed in Spain and in Canada.

Mercedes rolled out a heavily revised W14 in Monaco last month, but the positive changes came into their own in Barcelona where Lewis Hamilton and teammate George Russell finished second and third behind the unassailable Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

In Montreal last time out, Hamilton again enjoyed a podium finish while a mistake by Russell early on in the Canadian Grand Prix set back the Briton who eventually retired due to a brake issue.

But Mercedes' new-found speed and balance, while still lagging Red Bull, is undeniably for real.

"There were plenty of positives to take from the last race in Canada," said Wolff in his team's Austrian Grand Prix preview.

"Although we didn't get both cars to the chequered flag, a podium was a solid result and we saw encouraging signs from our updated package."

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This weekend's round of racing at the Red Bull Ring – a home venue for Wolff – will feature a Sprint race on Saturday, the second such event of the year after Baku.

Sergio Perez prevailed in Azerbaijan in the short 30-minute mad dash, while Russell and Hamilton finished P4 and P6.

"Austria is always a special weekend, as it's my home race and I have good memories from the track; both with the team but also from my early years racing there and teaching as an instructor," added Wolff.

"It's also the second Sprint of the season so it will be interesting to see the impact it has on the weekend, at a more traditional circuit."

With a lap record of just 1m02.939s set by Valtteri Bottas – with Mercedes – in 2020, Spielberg's Red Bull Ring is the shortest in terms of lap time on the 2023 calendar.

But Wolff is mindful of the challenges posed by the short track nestled in the Styrian hills.

"It's a short lap in Spielberg and it looks straightforward on paper; several long straights broken up by a range of slow, medium-speed and fast corners," he continued.

"But it's a challenging one to put together and get right.

"We will aim to build on the momentum we have generated over the past two races and continue our positive trajectory with the car.

"It's a venue where the W14 should perform better than in Canada, but we won't take anything for granted.

"As always, we will be working hard to maximise our performance and deliver strong results."

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