Dropped by Red Bull and Ferrari, Toto Wolff is not discouraged

But where is Mercedes ? Not really in his place after two Grands Prix this season. Major force of the hybrid era with 8 Manufacturers' titles and 7 Drivers in 8 years, the team led by Toto wolff struggling to get going or rather to keep up his rank.

It seems that the technical revolution has undermined Mercedes, whose latest addition, the W13, has not yet been able to bring out all its power and is still very far from doing so. In Australia this weekend, the situation did not change for the Germans who once again lost to Ferrari et Red Bull, And even Lando Norris de McLaren this time, yet behind them during the first two Grands Prix.

Currently swimming in troubled waters, Toto Wolff's gang is unable to turn things around while their rivals are taking off. In the fight for the title, the gap also grows weekend after weekend to the point where the chances of another coronation gradually diminish.

« I think we're on the defensive, recognizes Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. If I look at it from a mathematical and probability point of view, I would say the odds are 8 to 2. But we are in motorsport and anything can happen. Teams can suffer retirements and if we manage to unlock the full potential of the car, we will return to the race. As a runner I'd say it's probably 40/60 and as a mathematician I'd say the odds are lower. » There is no question of losing hope. “ We are only at 3^e race of the season, He continues. So I'm not going to give up on the title but for the moment it's like this, we are at 7 tenths."

Again and again porpoising

On Albert Park where they secured the 3^e line on the grid, Lewis Hamilton (5^e) and George Russell (6^e) have once again been victims of the famous porpoising to which the 2022 version single-seaters are subject. If other teams are still suffering from this but at a lower level, Mercedes is still struggling to resolve this problem on its W13.

“Other teams like Ferrari still have some problems with porpoising but they also did a lot of other things well that we missed or didn't do very well with,” admits Toto Wolff. It was the same for Red Bull. In Bahrain during testing, their car became faster thanks to the updates made.

Our porpoising is worse (than that of Ferrari) because we are victims of it in corners and at high speeds too. This is where we encounter a drop in performance. Looking at the comparisons, we are very competitive in the first sector, competitive in the second and then in the third we lose a lot through turns 9, 10 and 12. We lose about a second in a few corners.

Will solving the porpoising problem allow us to miraculously recover a second? No, definitely not. But there are plenty of improvements we can make on the weight or other points of the car. We just need to nibble on small gains while understanding it."

Great effort from the team today! Let's keep pushing👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/uAKnPjK1ZV

- Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) April 9, 2022

Left behind by the front of the peloton, Mercedes is working in silence, hoping to quickly be able to offer Lewis Hamilton and George Russell a W13 that lives up to its predecessors. If the time is not joyful, Toto Wolff does not believe in the end of the reign of the Star.

« I'm optimistic and I think we'll get there, whether it's in two or five races, he points. We have to stay humble and I'm not looking at one race weekend or one year, but rather ten years. (...) There will be more difficult years and this is one of them. »

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