“They are so mature, the regulations, so there’s only so much you can gain,” Wolff stressed. “I think we’ve recognised where our car was weak, in certain areas of cornering, but having said that, no one has really got on top of how to establish a basis that the car is fast at all the tracks.
“We’ve had astonishing performances in Las Vegas, we’ve almost crushed everyone from the first lap we went out until the end of the race, we were really good at Silverstone and good at Spa, and then not as good at other races.
“I think this year could be the same again that three, four, five teams are really close to each other, fighting, which is good news for the sport. At the same time, balancing development for next year – it’s going to be quite interesting how the priorities are set.”
Mercedes will reveal their 2025 challenger to the world on February 24, a few days after unveiling the car’s livery during the inaugural F1 season launch event at London’s The O2.