Mercedes apologizes after poor performance in Bahrain

Certainly, side Mercedes, we are brooding. After a difficult first weekend, although placing its two drivers in the top 10, we already seem to be laying down our weapons. The W14 did not satisfy the Brackley garage any more than its predecessor, insufficient to fight again for victories and titles. The team even felt the need to apologize again to the fans of the German star in an open letter published on their site. And, between the lines of a message of hope and resilience that Mercedes wants to convey, an admission of failure emerges: “ Bahrain hurts. It hurts all of us, who approach each season determined to compete for championships. It hurts the team as a whole, after putting so much work into a car that doesn't live up to our expectations. »

On the sidelines of the Bahrain Grand Prix, George Russell even took the bet that Red Bull would win every race of the season, making her the only plausible candidate for succession to the Drivers' and Manufacturers' championships. If the incredible performance of the RB19 must have discouraged the entire paddock, no one had yet risked sealing the fate of the 2023 campaign from its inaugural meeting. Lewis Hamilton is not more optimistic, the seven-time world champion believing that Mercedes had not taken his remarks into account in the construction of the W14. An astonishing display of frustration on the part of the Briton, who was unable to do anything on the track against Aston Martin et Fernando Alonso to move up in the final rankings of the first race.

Improvements to come at Mercedes

The zero-ponton philosophy, a daring bet by the German garage to enter the 2022 revolution in the premier category, has been retained for the car of this year. Between zero pontoons and starting from scratch, the choice was made. But already, on the side of Toto wolff and engineers, we are thinking about finding a more classic form, hoping that performance will come with it. The director of the star team has already announced on several occasions that he wants to make more radical changes, a desire once again confirmed: “ We are working with both urgency and calm to plan our reconstruction, focusing on our short, medium and long term needs to win. We already have improvements in the pipeline for the next races, and even more after that. »

Among the Silver Arrows, we are trying to remobilize the troops, on social networks as well as at the Brackley factory. “ Are you ready to join us in fighting back? If not, we have no hard feelings. If yes, then let's do it », ends the open letter from the team. But since being carried by the crowd does not save tenths, Mercedes will have to find the solution to maintain third place in the Manufacturers and reassure its teams.

ALSO READ > Mercedes facing the unacceptable