Toto Wolff brands Mercedes start 'totally unacceptable' as George Russell urges 'rethink' on car
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Updated 05/04/2022 at 13:30 GMT
Mercedes now have a 40-point deficit between themselves and Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship standings following the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix. The Australian Grand Prix takes place at the weekend, with Mercedes hoping for more happy memories on the circuit after their drivers Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton claimed the top two positions in the 2019 edition of the race.
Toto Wolff
Image credit: Getty Images
Toto Wolff explained that Mercedes’ slow start to the 2022 Formula 1 season "feels like 2013" when the German team last failed to win the constructors’ championship.
The period that followed included seven consecutive drivers’ championships for Lewis Hamilton (six) and Nico Rosberg (one).
However, the manufacturer has fallen behind the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari following the off-season changes to aerodynamic regulations that have hampered Hamilton and fellow driver George Russell.
Mercedes now have a 40-point deficit between themselves and Ferrari in the constructors’ championship standings following the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian grands prix.
“I love competition and I’ve always loved competition,” said Wolff in quotes originally published by Race Fans.
“We had a really strong run of eight years where we were leading the pack, not always, but we kind of managed our way into the lead.
“This time for me feels a little bit like 2013, where we just weren’t up to the speed with the Red Bull and probably also not with the Ferraris, but we kept fighting. This is how I feel at the moment.
“It’s certainly totally unacceptable where we are in performance. We are third on the road and sometimes not even [that]. It’s just not an option to stay where we are.”
The F1 season continues in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix at the weekend, with Mercedes hoping for more happy memories on the circuit after their drivers Valtteri Bottas and Hamilton claimed the top two positions in the 2019 edition of the race.
But Russell admits there are wider concerns surrounding the Mercedes car and says there was too much focus around the ‘porpoising’ issue.
“We have the porpoising issue. The only way to run is to raise the car very high. And obviously with this ground effect car we lose all of the downforce," he said.
“So, we know that if we can get the car on the ground there is a huge chunk of lap time there. But we can’t achieve at the moment. It’s all well and good saying that, but we can’t physically achieve that right now. So, we need to have a rethink.
“It’s tricky because we’re putting all of our effort into solving this porpoising issue and it’s not allowing us to focus on other things. As a driver it’s not allowing me to focus on the driving as much.
“The fine-tuning of the balance, the set-up, we can’t really do because all of our emphasis is on solving this issue. So, we’ve got work to do.”
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