Wolff hands down: 'RB19 can brake later and accelerate earlier'

Toto Wolff sounded anything but optimistic ahead of the third day of testing in Bahrain. Red Bull Racing was far out of reach and Lewis Hamilton's second-place finish on the final day failed to change that. The Mercedes team boss draws his conclusions and sees that the team of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez is miles ahead.

The German Auto, Motor und Sport writes that engineers are now considering whether it is the W14's tuning that is causing the problems or whether parts need to be redesigned. Indeed, in every area, the 2023 Mercedes is weaker than Red Bull's RB19.

"They brake later, are slower on corner entry anyway, accelerate much earlier and gain a huge amount of time with the better traction. If we approach the corners like that, we miss the apex completely," Wolff noted. The Brackley-based team also underperformed many other teams in terms of top speed, although a rear wing is likely to be introduced at the Bahrain Grand Prix. This would provide less air resistance.

Aston Martin as an opponent?

Aston Martin is impressed and Wolff is taking serious account of the fact that they will have a tough go at the AMR23 at the start of the season. "According to our calculations, Aston Martin could finish in second place," said Mercedes team boss Wolff. Especially in the corners, the 2023 car of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll excels.

Aston Martin itself is still somewhat cautious about its chances. The British formation states that they have only been concerned with themselves and that only next week during the GP weekend will it become clear how competitive they are. At Mercedes, however, they, therefore expect competition from the corner of Mike Krack's team.