Mercedes boss confirms 2 more upgrades before the summer break, including a ‘big one in Silverstone’

After a significant overhaul of the Mercedes W14 in Monaco, team boss Toto Wolff has confirmed that the team is fast-tracking its upgrade plans. Wolff revealed that they are planning to introduce two upgrades in the next four races, including a "big one" in Silverstone.

The Mercedes W14 underwent a major overhaul recently, providing a new platform for the team to build upon. After two successful outings with the upgraded car, the team has decided to bring two additional upgrades in the next four races, which are scheduled to be held in Austria, Silverstone (England), Hungary, and Belgium. After the Belgian GP at the end of July, F1 will pause for the summer break.

Team principal Toto Wolff revealed that the first of the two upgrades will be introduced in Silverstone. Wolff said (via Total-Motorsport.com):

"We still have two in the next races. A big one in Silverstone, the other before the summer break."

Wolff added that these upgrades were fast-tracked as the team has learned a lot after changing the car's fundamental design concept.

"It’s just that the learnings have accelerated a lot since we changed some of the conceptual architecture." Wolff said. "There should be decent steps coming in the next four races."

Mercedes decided to change their design philosophy after being humbled by Red Bull and Aston Martin in the season opener. These changes were finally implemented at the Monaco GP. The upgraded W14, featuring the wider side pods, underwent a true test at the following race at Barcelona.

The new car turned out to be the second-fastest on the grid, with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell securing podium finishes. Hamilton continued his podium streak at the following race in Canada with a P3 finish.

With the upcoming upgrade packages, Mercedes will hope to close the gap with Red Bull, but Wolff added that they are not underestimating the uphill task ahead of them.

---

After consecutive podiums, Hamilton reckons Mercedes is 'going in the right direction'

F1 Grand Prix of Canada

Lewis Hamilton has adapted well to the overhauled Mercedes W14, scoring two podiums on the trot. After a brilliant drive to P2 in Barcelona, Hamilton bagged a third-place finish in the Canadian GP.

The seven-time world champion insisted that the team has a lot of downforce to add, but is heading in the right direction.

"We’ve got a lot of work to do to just add rear downforce to the car, and a little bit more efficiency, but we are chipping away." Hamilton said. "I do believe we will get there at some stage. Max was a little bit gone, but I think our pace was a little bit closer today, so we are going in the right direction."

The upcoming upgrades should help the team stay ahead of Aston Martin in the constructors' standings, with the current gap at 13 points.