During the race weekend in Germany it became clear Red Bull Racing has taken a good step in closing the gap with Mercedes. The team of Max Verstappen seems to be getting closer to her rival, but according to Toto Wolff that makes sense. He says that Mercedes has consciously chosen this.
In the early stages of the 2020 season, it soon became clear that Mercedes still has a significant lead over the rest of the field. Red Bull had hoped to be able to get involved in the title fight, but has not succeeded. However, the Austrians seem to be getting closer to Mercedes in recent weeks. The updates confirmed on the RB16 at the Nürburgring in Germany had the desired effect and made only a small difference between polesitter Valtteri Bottas and number three Verstappen during qualifying. Wolff sees that Red Bull is indeed starting to get closer, but says that this was partly Mercedes’ own choice.
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According to Wolff, Mercedes stopped “long ago” with the further development of its current car, the W11. This keeps Mercedes at the same level in terms of performance as at the start of the season, while Red Bull continues to make steps forward. “We finished them (the updates) a long time ago and it has always been like that in the past,” the team boss is quoted as saying by Motorsport.com. “We made a very thoughtful decision, because you can’t close the book earlier in every championship.” According to Wolff, Mercedes has decided to focus on the new car earlier in connection with the upcoming new regulations.
That’s why you see shifting performance between the teamsToto Wolff
By making this well-considered choice, Mercedes gives its competitors the opportunity to get closer. According to Wolff, this makes sense. “That’s why you see shifting performance between the teams”, he refers to Red Bull, which continues to provide its RB16 with new updates. “We always have a very strong start and middle part of the season. And those that keep developing are strong at the end of the year.”
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