Photo: LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
With two F1 races already in the bag this year, it’s clear that Mercedes-AMG are struggling to keep up with Red Bull and Ferrari. In terms of pace, it’s like Ferrari and Mercedes have swapped places from where they were in 2021, leaving the German outfit in kind of a no man’s land.
This past weekend in Saudi Arabia, George Russell finished the race fifth, while Lewis Hamilton could only manage P10 after recovering from his first Q1 knockout in over four years. Don’t get us wrong, it’s not that Mercedes look like a midfield team now, but rather they don’t look like title contenders anymore – same as Ferrari last year.
“We were right in the middle of those fun games in the front and talking as an F1 stakeholder and benefiting from a great show, that is really spectacular to look at,” said Mercedes-AMG F1 team principal Toto Wolff, while referring to the battle between Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
“But on the other side, it is extremely painful to be not part of those fun games, and by quite a chunk of lap time deficit,” he added, as quoted by Motorsport.
“We’re not going to rest until we are back in the mix. But you’re absolutely right: it’s no fun at all. [It’s] an exercise in humility, and it’s going to make us stronger in the end, even though it’s not funny right now.”
With two races into the 2022 F1 season, Mercedes is already trailing Ferrari by 40 points in the Constructors’ Championship, while also sitting just one point clear of Red Bull. Let’s not forget that Red Bull failed to score any points in Bahrain two weeks ago, with both of their cars being forced to retire.
So then, what’s the problem with Mercedes? According to George Russell, 99% of their issues stem from porpoising, which is something that the team needs to figure out quickly.
“We were right in the middle of those fun games in the front and talking as an F1 stakeholder and benefiting from a great show, that is really spectacular to look at,” said Mercedes-AMG F1 team principal Toto Wolff, while referring to the battle between Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
“But on the other side, it is extremely painful to be not part of those fun games, and by quite a chunk of lap time deficit,” he added, as quoted by Motorsport.
“We’re not going to rest until we are back in the mix. But you’re absolutely right: it’s no fun at all. [It’s] an exercise in humility, and it’s going to make us stronger in the end, even though it’s not funny right now.”
With two races into the 2022 F1 season, Mercedes is already trailing Ferrari by 40 points in the Constructors’ Championship, while also sitting just one point clear of Red Bull. Let’s not forget that Red Bull failed to score any points in Bahrain two weeks ago, with both of their cars being forced to retire.
So then, what’s the problem with Mercedes? According to George Russell, 99% of their issues stem from porpoising, which is something that the team needs to figure out quickly.
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