Toto Wolff claims that the Mercedes W13, their challenger for the 2022 season, will take up a “special place” in their F1 car collection. The W13 was one of their more disappointing cars as Mercedes had a very dismal 2022 season.
Mercedes had managed to win eight Constructor’s Championships from 2014 to 2021. However, their streak came to an end in 2022 as they couldn’t cope with the regulation changes and Red Bull and Ferrari managed to jump then.
By the end of the season, Mercedes finished P3 behind Red Bull and Ferrari. The Mercedes W13 was plagued with a multitude of issues including porpoising, throughout the season. This meant that neither Lewis Hamilton nor George Russell could get a hold of the car.
Lewis Hamilton has already said that he won’t request Mercedes to give him ownership of this year’s F1 car. Toto Wolff does understand Hamilton’s sentiment and acknowledged that the W13 won’t really find a place among the top cars produced by Mercedes.
Toto Wolff told the media, “I think this car will always have a special place in our collection – very far back.”
Toto Wolff hopes to provide his drivers with a better cars in the following years
However, Toto Wolff believes that the W13 is a very important car for the team as they have learned a lot from the car. He suggested that the team will improve upon the W13 and within a few years will be back to fighting at the front.
“I think that, hopefully, [in] the next years, we’ll do her justice, because the learning curve with that car was enormous,” Toto Wolff explained.
Toto Wolff also reminded everyone that this was the same car that won the Brazilian Grand Prix, their only victory of the 2022 season. Therefore, it does have the ingredients needed for a victory.
Read More: Toto Wolff Believes That the 2022 Downfall Was Necessary For Mercedes
George Russell brought Mercedes their only victory of the season, in Brazil. As for Hamilton, he had a winless season, the first-ever winless season of his entire F1 career.
However, Lewis Hamilton has made it clear that he does not really mind too much about records like these. Still, Toto Wolff hopes that the team can provide Hamilton with a car that can consistently fight for wins in 2023.
