Despite a promising Silverstone weekend, Toto Wolff admits that it is almost time to stop focussing on this year's car and look to 2024.

Following the "bruising" experience of the Red Bull Ring, Silverstone was a whole lot better, with Lewis Hamilton claiming his third podium of the year and teammate George Russell finishing fifth.

However, Red Bull aside, as Ferrari struggled and Aston Martin continued to lose ground, the Silver Arrows found themselves out-performed by McLaren.

Saturday's performance from the Woking pair was a "wake-up call" for Mercedes claimed Hamilton, while the seven-time world champion was clearly stunned by the MCL60's race pace and grip describing the car as a "rocket ship". Indeed, it was a canny pit stop under the Safety Car that allowed him to get the jump on Oscar Piastri.

Silverstone saw the second phase of McLaren's upgrade programme, while Mercedes' got underway in Monaco. With the upgrade war set to continue throughout the summer, Toto Wolff was asked if Mercedes will continue to try and improve its 2023 contender.

"I think pretty soon," he admitted, before quickly adding. "We have no choice.

"P2, P3, fundamentally doesn't impact me and the team," he said of the championship. "It's about coming back and being able to win a world championship, and in that respect, that's not going to happen this year.

"So we need to set our eyes on next year, and with all the races to come, to learn, develop and make sure that we can carry that forward into next year.

"But having said that, the regulations are the same so you're not learning nothing by continuing with this car," he admitted. "It's a balance that we need to strike right."

Referring to the weekend, he said: "Overall, the car was not where we've seen it at Silverstone the last years, a track where we have been really dominant and strong. The high speed was not good at all compared to our direct competitors, and in qualifying, we were also struggling with traction on the exits, so overall, the car remains a handful."

Throughout 2023, the Mercedes, like a number of other cars, has appeared to be track specific, and Wolff hopes that this may prove fruitful over the coming months.

"Maybe there's another track where we have the best shot because the characteristics of the car have changed," he said. "I have always believed we can beat Max. We have a good group of people, the best drivers, and we just have to give them a car that is more predictable and not the diva 2.0, and much more complicated than the first one."