Mercedes need Aston Martin, McLaren-esque leap to challenge Red Bull in F1 2024

Aston Martin grabbed the headlines with a stunning transformation over the winter to start the season as Red Bull’s nearest challengers, while a mid-season upgrade has turned around McLaren’s campaign following a terrible start. 

And Mercedes boss Wolff wants the German manufacturer to take inspiration from the gains made by their rivals in order to get “back in the game” next season. 

"I think where we are, we just need a step that McLaren and Aston Martin have achieved in one go,” he said. 

"It is not making a two tenths update, but a five tenths update and then you're back in the game. So yeah, I think it's possible.”

Mercedes have already revised their W14 car as they continue to play catch up to Red Bull’s unbeaten RB19 design, and are confident they have a better grip on the new regulations compared to when they were first introduced last year. 

Asked whether Mercedes know specifically what they want to do with next year’s car concept, Wolff replied: "I think we have a few directions. 

"If we would know it would be much easier, but the car is just very unpredictable and lacks grip. So, there are plenty of things that you need to tackle.

"We tend to believe in F1 that there's a silver bullet that's going to unlock everything.

"I think we just need to put components together to make them work together in the car. There's not one topic that I would call out."