Toto Wolff risks Lewis Hamilton fury after bedroom talk sums up latest Mercedes setback

Toto Wolff has admitted that there may be ‘setbacks’ as Mercedes implement new upgrades over the coming races. The Silver Arrows’ team principal used the analogy of a ‘duvet’ to sum up the team’s recent struggles in the development race as Lewis Hamilton and George Russell continue to be left frustrated.

Mercedes have made a raft of changes to their car since debuting the W13 at the start of the ground-effect era in 2022. But while Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren have made breakthroughs, the eight-time champions have made progress in some areas but sacrificed performance in others.

The result of this is a worrying deficit to the top three teams. After eight rounds of the 2024 season, Mercedes have just 96 points to their name. McLaren, who sit third in the Constructors’ Championship standings, are in a different league with 184 points, one win and a further four podiums under their belt.

Recently, however, Mercedes’ approach has shifted. Explaining their new angle, Wolff said: “I think what we’re doing now is probably solving that. I don’t think that the duvet is large enough to cover feet and head at that stage. But we’re getting there.

“And Montreal is a little bit of an outlier for a track. We’re going to add something and we’re going to add something for Barcelona. So just try to chip away, bearing in mind that could be also setbacks.”

While this sounds positive, further setbacks, as previously hinted at by Wolff, would risk destabilising the internal relationships even more. Hamilton’s patience with the project is already running thin after his worst-ever start to a season, and he seemed frustrated and jaded with the W15’s shortcomings after an uneventful Monaco Grand Prix.

Despite these concerns, Wolff is content with the route his squad is taking. “I think we were that close in qualifying when you look at the gaps… probably much closer in the race. But at the end… I think overall the trajectory is going in the right direction,” he added. “I think we’ve understood where the balance of the car needs to be.

“We’ve been bringing bits and pieces in order to enhance that and as I said yesterday saw the trajectory going up, but it’s maybe like a shell, right? So it’s going to be up and down, better tracks, worse tracks, so we’re absolutely happy with the approach.”