Toto Wolff has declared that Mercedes have a car which is good enough for Lewis Hamilton to win a record eighth F1 world championship.
Hamilton endured a difficult 2022 after losing the 2021 F1 world title to Max Verstappen in controversial fashion. Having lost to Verstappen by just eight points in 2021, Hamilton failed to win a single race last year and ended up finishing sixth.
However, Wolff is confident the 38-year-old will be back competing for the world title this year. "You need to provide a good car for a driver that has the ambition to win races and championships and we have that," he said following the first day of pre-season testing.
"We want to win. At this stage last year, we knew we were in trouble because the car was bouncing around and we were not able to drive it correctly. But today, it is very different.
"The car seems to be balanced in the right way. There is no bouncing which is good news. It is a good starting point. We have had a productive morning."
And Wolff says Hamilton is "super-determined" to bounce back from a disappointing 2022. "I am amazed because Lewis has been with the team for 10 years and every year he just comes back more mature, more professional and more understanding of what is good for him," Wolff added.
"He is in high spirits and super-determined." Hamilton is entering the final year of his current deal with Mercedes, but the Brit says he does plan to put pen to paper on a new contract.
"I know I've been here [at Mercedes] a long time, I love being a part of a team that is working towards a common goal," Hamilton said at the launch of Mercedes new W14 car earlier this month. "It's the combined energy of all the individuals in the team.
"It's not the same car every year. You know, it's always changing. There's always new tools, always a new logbook they have to get used to. And I love that, so you know, I am planning to stay there longer."
