Wolff knows where Mercedes needs to adopt the Red Bull concept: "We don't know how they interpreted the rules"

Toto Wolff doesn't believe that Mercedes will make a significant leap forward if the team adopts Red Bull Racing's sidepod concept. Other teams have already done so, and Aston Martin and McLaren, in particular, have made significant progress. Wolff believes that it is more important for Mercedes to focus on the floor and diffuser of the RB19, but they haven't had the time to do so yet. Nevertheless, the team principal doesn't rule out the possibility of Mercedes adopting Red Bull's sidepod concept.

This season, more and more teams seem to be switching to the sidepod concept of the RB19. Mercedes has considered it but hasn't implemented it yet. "The sidepods and the bodywork are just one part of the chassis and clearly, it looks like there are interesting solutions that it opens up," Wolff is quoted by PlanetF1. "But most of the performance comes through the floor and the diffuser. And we haven’t seen how they (Red Bull, ed.) interpreted the regulations, and how they’ve done it."

Still, the Mercedes team boss doesn't find it surprising that cars are increasingly resembling the RB19. "Maybe we’ll see that the strong cars all look a little bit the same when you look from the side and from the top down." Wolff had previously mentioned that the Red Bull concept didn't generate enough downforce in the simulator, but the idea hasn't been completely abandoned. "That has played in our minds already back in the day but, maybe, that’s just a little more indication where it goes."

Wolff: "I don't care if we finish second or third"

Mercedes has made several attempts to close the gap to Red Bull, but the German team hasn't yet found the golden ticket. The team has been scoring podium finishes, but according to Wolff, that's not the main focus. "We’ve been fighting with the car for a year and a half, trying to add performance. It came in, but it’s just chipping away at those small gains, rather than to do such a step. Fundamentally, I don’t care whether we finish second or third. It’s important to find our way back to fighting for victories and in the World Championship," said the Austrian.