George Russell meanwhile, was fourth, continuing his consistent run of a top-five finish in every Grand Prix up to now this season. However the ‘Silver Arrows’ were still affected by the difficulty of porpoising, with the FIA agreeing last week to deal with the difficulty after Hamilton voiced safety concerns.
And despite mass experimentation already this season, the notion stays that the Constructors’ champions remain way off the pace set by Verstappen’s team and Ferrari. And Wolff, 50, has now candidly admitted Mercedes have checked out the design of the RB18 ahead of next season, and will copy the model to speed up airflow underneath the automotive and increase downforce.
“I believe before you begin on next season, it is advisable understand what the issue is,” Wolff told Sky Sports, when asked if the team planned to switch the W13 cars in 2023. “I believe what was interesting to see here, while you compare the ride height of the cars, [is that] Red Bull has been a large outlier, it actually has rake again within the automotive, [whereas] we’re on the far end, with a automotive that’s flat on the bottom.”
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