Haug: Victory in several seasons

Mercedes GP is having another disappointing season. If the Silver Arrows occupy fourth place in the Championship behind the three untouchable top teams, they have not signed a single podium this year and are clearly showing performances that are behind their objectives.

Norbert Haug is preparing to experience several seasons of development where victory will be out of reach. “It took five years to Red Bull so that they develop their system and win their first race with Sebastian Vettel in Toro Rosso (Imola GP in 2008) », recalls the Mercedes sporting director on Autosport. “With all due respect, it took them a while. We must also accept that we need it. I am not talking about the next two years but a longer period. If we manage to win in less than five years without spending large sums of money, we will be a very special team. »

The director of Mercedes Motorsport recognizes that the ambitious objectives posted at the start of the year were too optimistic. “It is true that expectations at the start of the year were not exactly fair”, adds Norbert Haug. “We had this cooling issue that we're working on? Once the train starts and you're chasing it, it becomes difficult to catch up. But we are facing an intense pace of development. ask to Ferrari, McLaren or Red Bull and they will admit to you that they bring new things to each race. »