Formula 1: Toto Wolff has slammed Mercedes performance as ‘totally unacceptable’: The team principal of Mercedes, Toto Wolff has slammed Mercedes’s performance as unacceptable after Mercedes had a slow start to the 2022 season. Wolff claims that staying here is not an option. Follow Formula 1 Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
Toto Wolff said, “I love competition and I’ve always loved competition. We had a really strong run of eight years where we were leading the pack, not always, but we kind of managed our way into the lead.”
Formula 1: Toto Wolff slams Mercedes performance as ‘totally UNACCEPTABLE’, says ‘staying here is not an OPTION’
“This time for me feels a little bit like 2013. Where we just weren’t up to the speed with the Red Bull. And probably also not with the Ferraris, but we kept fighting. This is how I feel at the moment. It’s certainly totally unacceptable where we are in performance. We are third on the road and sometimes not even that. It’s just not an option to stay where we are.”
Mercedes have won seven consecutive Drivers titles since 2014. Lewis Hamilton has won it six times and Nico Rosberg just once. However, Mercedes have fallen way behind their rivals Ferrari and Red Bull.
They had some off-season changes to their aerodynamic regulations which led to a setback for their drivers Hamilton and Russell. Mercedes are trailing Ferrari by 40 points in the Constructors championship after the first two races.
Round three of the Formula 1 season makes its way to Australia. Mercedes have fond memories of racing at Albert Park. The last Grand Prix in 2019 saw them have a 1-2 finish in the form of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.
BREAKING: @ValtteriBottas powers to a stunning victory at the #AusGP, beating team-mate @LewisHamilton by more than 20 seconds in Melbourne 🏆🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/QeuxKGwdpM
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 17, 2019
But, George Russell admits there are other concerns surrounding the Mercedes W13 car. He feels the focus is way too much on the Porpoising itself.
Formula 1: Toto Wolff slams Mercedes performance as ‘totally UNACCEPTABLE’, says ‘staying here is not an OPTION’
George said, “We have the porpoising issue. The only way to run is to raise the car very high. And obviously with this ground effect car we lose all of the downforce. So, we know that if we can get the car on the ground there is a huge chunk of lap time there. But we can’t achieve at the moment. It’s all well and good saying that, but we can’t physically achieve that right now. So, we need to have a rethink.”
“It’s tricky because we’re putting all of our effort into solving this porpoising issue. And it’s not allowing us to focus on other things. As a driver it’s not allowing me to focus on the driving as much. The fine-tuning of the balance, the set-up. We can’t really do because all of our emphasis is on solving this issue. So, we’ve got work to do.”
Although, George Russell has handled the way W13 has behaved so far. But, Lewis Hamilton has struggled with the new 2022 car. Russell and Hamilton will be hoping to change the fortunes for Mercedes at the Australian Grand Prix.
Russell is currently fourth in the Drivers standings with 22 points. He is followed by Lewis Hamilton in fifth with 16 points so far. Round three of the Formula 1 season takes place in Australia. The Australian Grand Prix will start on 8th April and the race is scheduled for 10th April.
Formula 1: Toto Wolff slams Mercedes performance as ‘totally UNACCEPTABLE’, says ‘staying here is not an OPTION’
