2023 Austrian F1 GP: Mercedes boss expects W14 to “perform better than in Canada” 

Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, is expecting good results from the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix. He believes that the 'more traditional' circuit will be suitable for the W14, making their performance much better than it was at the Canadian Grand Prix. Notably, Mercedes finished P2 for the second race in a row.

The Brackley-based outfit introduced a new design of their sidepods along with other upgrades at Monaco, and the performance boost could be seen during the Spanish Grand Prix. They had a double podium in that race, and the momentum was followed in Montreal. Although George Russell retired from the race, his teammate was P2, again.

Although the Austrian GP is home to Red Bull, it is of equal importance to him as well, since he's an Austrian. Talking about the layout of the track, Toto Wolff mentioned that it could help Mercedes in achieving the result they want.

"It’s a short lap in Spielberg and looks straightforward on paper; several long straights broken up by a range of slow, medium-speed and fast corners. But it’s a challenging one to put together and get right," Wolff said.

Wolff is confident that this layout will help the team to have better competitiveness during the Austrian GP, and that the W14 could be in much better shape this weekend. This is going to be a sprint race weekend, and Wolff has enough confidence in the team and the car, as he said:

"We will aim to build on the momentum we have generated over the past two races and continue our positive trajectory with the car. It’s a venue where the W14 should perform better than in Canada, but we won’t take anything for granted."

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Reports reveal issues that Hamilton is facing upon new contract signing with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton's current contract with the team will end after this season. Although new contract talks have been in speculation for a while, it has been reported that there are issues that the two parties are facing upon the agreement of the contract.

Hamilton has won six world championships with the team and has become one of the best drivers in the motorsport industry. This is enough to make it easy for him to sign another contract with the team, however, as The Mail reports, the situation is likely to be different. Mercedes has agreed upon giving him a year's extension on his current contract, with an option for a second.

However, Lewis Hamilton reportedly wants something else. The report mentions that the Briton wants a £15 million bonus after the signing of the contract, and a longer deal. Further details on his contract are expected to come.