The Mercedes F1 team has been on an impressive upward trajectory since the Monaco GP. Toto Wolff and Co. have amassed solid points but despite this, no one was expecting them to secure the victory at the recent Austrian GP.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was on course to secure victory in Speilberg but because of his crash with McLaren’s Lando Norris, things went downhill for the team. Mercedes slipped in to take advantage and George Russell scored an impressive yet shocking victory.

However, the Austrian outfit is not too impressed with their rival’s triumph and thus, has made a scathing remark.

They are on the way up. But I don’t think they are capable of winning on their own. They still need something.
Helmut Marko via OE24
Mercedes amassed solid points at the Red Bull Ring courtesy of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton‘s P1 and P4 finish. However, Marko and Co. are confident that the German outfit is not capable of scoring victories on their own. The W15 has improved massively but the 81-year-old is quite right in his assessment. Had Verstappen not collided with Norris, Russell would most probably have finished P3 or P4.

Mercedes’ Formula 1 factory is ‘running on full steam’
While Marko has downplayed Mercedes’ triumph in Austria, this does not bother Wolff and his team. They are only focusing on themselves and are extremely optimistic about going ahead into the rest of the 2024 season.

I think we are bringing upgrades now almost to every race. The factory is running on full steam. We’ve never had this in 12 years that we were able to develop, design, manufacture, bring it to the track and have the quality in the pieces.
Toto Wolff via Motorsportweek
Mercedes has leapfrogged Ferrari in terms of pace in the last few races. As things stand, the team is still fourth in the constructors championship with 196 points and is closely reducing the gap to the top teams. McLaren is currently sitting on 268 with Ferrari not too far ahead with 291, keeping this in view, the German outfit could reduce this gap massively. However, in order to do this, they will have to put their best foot forward with both their drivers in the upcoming races.