Winner in Brazil in 2022, Mercedes as legitimate favorite in 2023?

Last year, the Brazilian Grand Prix certainly offered spectacle, surprises and above all, firsts. Friday, Kevin Magnussen took an unexpected pole position, in changing conditions. Two days later, George Russell won his first Grand Prix of Formula 1 et Mercedes even signed the double with Lewis Hamilton !

A year later, the Silver Arrows still find themselves in the same position as at the same time, in 2022: still no victory in 2023 when they arrive at the Interlagos circuit. However, the German team has shown good progress in these last rounds: Lewis Hamilton has been on the podium twice in the last two races... even if the first of the two was canceled afterwards, after the disqualification of the Briton at Austin.

Mercedes at the forefront? Wolff remains cautious

Nevertheless, Mercedes has distinguished itself recently and could even claim to fight on equal terms against Red Bull in Sao Paulo. Toto wolff, director of German training, does not want to comment too much on the performance of the W14 in Brazil.

“Leaving Mexico with a second place, given the difficult start to the weekend and our positions on the grid, is positive. The car showed very good race pace, but we know we still have work to do to get the most out of the W14 over the three days., declared the Austrian leader. We know we have taken a big step forward in the last few races, but Mexico showed that the W14 can still be difficult to master. We will try to arrive at Interlagos with a solid working base and we will see what we can do from there. »

The boss of the German team, however, does not forget the recent successes of Mercedes in Brazil, where Lewis Hamilton won in a remarkable manner in 2021 and where George Russell therefore achieved his first success in 2022. “The fans are very passionate about F1 and we always receive a very enthusiastic welcome from them. I hope our formula works well there and we can put on a good show for everyone.", confides Toto Wolff.

Mercedes is also hoping for a good overall result to maintain and consolidate its second place in the Constructors' championship, still threatened by Ferrari. The Silver Arrows have a 22-point lead over their Italian rivals heading into this Brazilian weekend.

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