For all their optimism when launching the W14, the revised car concept from last years W13 has not delivered the on track results Mercedes hoped. With just one podium in the opening three races, the opening rounds in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were a tough challenge for the squad as they appeared miles off the pace of Red Bull. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has admitted that the team must change its car concept if it stands a chance at challenging for titles again. A front row start in Melbourne appeared as though the team was finding performance in their car, however it seems they still lack the race pace needed to challenge for wins on merit. George Russell believes their recent work in the simulator has been more beneficial than their entire off-season development during the break between seasons. “We’re probably finding more gains in the past two or three weeks than we found over the whole winter by clearly developing in the wrong window,” said Russell. “So it’s definitely heading in the right direction. “We’re working really hard at the moment with these changes. I won’t give too much away, [but] we need to make sure they work as expected.”
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