Toto Wolff has no 'magic bullet' for Mercedes, but tricks up his sleeve in W14 upgrades

It can't be stressed enough: the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team is in dire straits, and there is no quick cure to improve its showing.

However, in Australia, the last time out in the third race of the 2023 season, the team was on the button, with drivers George Russell and Lewis Hamilton leading the race at the end of Lap 1.

Despite a power unit failure ending Russell's race, Hamilton finished second behind the dominant Red Bull of Max Verstappen.

Some might feel that Hamilton or Russell should have won the race, but the result is a definite win considering where they are. Red Bull is the quickest team, with Aston Martin surpassing Mercedes and Ferrari in 2023.

Still, team boss Toto Wolff realises that the Silver Arrows must turn their fortunes around if they are to challenge for the championships again, but he is also aware that there are no quick fixes for the W14's troubles.

"There is no such thing as a magic bullet that transforms the car, and it's about being realistic with your expectations. Hopefully, we will see a steady improvement," he said.

Encouraging signs

In 2022, Mercedes entered the season with a car looking vastly different from the rest of the field, and they were soon hit with the reality that the W13 was nowhere near a race-winning condition.

Fortunately, a continued effort to improve the car as best they could resulted in the team securing a 1-2 finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix, with Russell leading from Hamilton.

This year thoughts were that they had overcome the troubles. It was not the case. But Wolff is taking strong solace in how the team turned a slow start to 2023 around after just three races.

"In terms of car development, it is encouraging to see that within three races, we understand the car much