Toto Wolff says Mercedes has "no other choice" but to surrender to the whims of its 'diva 2.0' W14 and switch its development focus to its 2024 car.
Mercedes started its season with an evolution of its 2022 first iteration ground-effects car, one that it believed would perform better and especially more consistently than its troubled predecessor.
But the Brackley squad's hopes were dashed as soon as the first race in Bahrain, which sent its engineers back to the drawing board to conceive an upgrade package that would bring the car's aero characteristics closer to the designs of its rivals.
A new-spec W14 was rolled out at Monaco, and while there were clear improvements, as the team's podiums in Spain and in Canada demonstrated, a crucial lack of consistency remains embedded in the machine's basic design.
At Silverstone, Mercedes introduced a new front wing but the change had little impact on the team's relative performance, with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton only qualifying P6 and P7.
On race day, a well-timed pitstop during a late Safety Car period allowed Hamilton to seize the final spot on the podium from McLaren's Oscar Piastri while Russell finished fifth.
"Overall, the car was not where we’ve seen it at Silverstone the last years, a track where we have been really dominant and strong," noted Wolff after last Sunday's race.
"The high speed was not good at all compared to our direct competitors, and in qualifying, we were also struggling with traction on the exits, so overall, the car remains a handful."
©Mercedes
Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Wolff reckoned that the round of racing at Silverstone would represent Mercedes' "best shot" at defeating Red Bull and achieving victory.
But given the W14's complex vagaries, the Austrian now believes that another type of track may better suit Mercedes' chances of winning.
"Maybe there’s another track where we have the best shot because the characteristics of the car have changed," he explained.
"I have always believed we can beat Max. We have a good group of people, the best drivers, and we just have to give them a car that is more predictable and not the diva 2.0 – and much more complicated than the first one."
Asked when Mercedes will abandon the development of its 2023 car and switch all its resources to next season, Wolff said: "I think pretty soon. We have no choice.
"P2, P3 [in the championship], fundamentally doesn’t impact me and the team. It’s about coming back and being able to win a world championship, and in that respect, that’s not going to happen this year.
"So we need to set our eyes on to next year, and with all the races to come, to learn, develop and make sure that we can carry that forward into next year.
"But having said that, the regulations are the same so you’re not learning nothing by continuing with this car. It’s a balance that we need to strike right."
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