All of the new car regulations coming for 2022 have meant that many teams have already given up working on improving their current challengers to make sure they don’t fall behind at the dawn of the new era.
Because with the rules still in their infancy, the teams have no illusions that the more effort they make now, the greater the advantage they could have if the cars were unleashed.
While it’s an easy decision for teams to abandon current developments further down the order, it has given Mercedes some headaches as it is embroiled in an extremely close battle with Red Bull for the F1 championship.
They understand that if you sacrifice the potential to improve your current car, it will be more difficult to beat your rival for the remainder of the campaign.
This situation is particularly compounded by the fact that Red Bull has aggressively decided to continue work on improving its current RB16B.
It has regularly updated its car for every race and that has helped it deliver a car that Mercedes has overtaken on several occasions.
While Mercedes fully accepts the disadvantages in the second half of the season, Wolff is convinced that for the long-term potential of his team it is ultimately the right choice not to invest any more resources in 2021.
And he reckons that any team that puts considerable effort into their current cars will suffer next year.
“You have to look also in 2022,” Wolff told Motorsport.com. “Because if you don’t have a wand, you’re going to be in deficit next year.
“So I think most of the teams have stopped development for 2021. But if they keep pushing for 2021, that will certainly give them an advantage. ” [this year]. “
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While Red Bull is aware of the potential impact of its plan for 2022, team principal Christian Horner has said several times that he believes the team will not be disadvantaged next year by its development spurt this season.
“You have to race week after week, race after race, and I think the team is doing a great job of overcoming the challenges of this year and next,” he said recently of the potential not to risk his efforts in 2022.
“This is nothing new. I mean, a lot is being made of it at the moment, but we’ve had big regulatory changes in the past so you need to balance your resources and apply them to what’s needed most. I think the team works incredibly hard, extremely well and effectively. “
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