Toto Wolff has already written off Lewis Hamilton’s chances at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix and has again warned “there won’t be a magic fix” for his team’s troubles.
The chronic under-performance of the Mercedes cars has been the talk of the Formula One paddock in the opening weeks of the season. Both Hamilton and George Russell have admitted the Ferraris and Red Bulls could disappear into the distance - in terms of the drivers and constructors championships - before Mercedes get their act together.
There had been rumours of new parts for the misfiring Silver Arrows but, whatever arrives in Melbourne over the next few days, Wolff does not expect a significant upturn in performance. The Mercedes team principal declared: “There won't be a magic fix for this next race weekend.
"We are in a learning race and the first two weekends have shown we still have plenty to learn. At the moment, our track performance is not meeting our own expectations, but everyone at Brackley and Brixworth is focused on understanding the problems and finding the right solutions.”
Hamilton and Russell have been at the Brackley factory, trying to find solutions to problems that saw the seven-times world champion finish tenth in Saudi Arabia and his British team-mate fifth. In the season-opener in Bahrain, they had managed a third and fourth, but only after the late retirements of the Red Bulls of world champion Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez.
“We’re pushing to steadily bring gains over the upcoming races, to hopefully move us closer to the front of the pack,” said a less-than-optimistic Wolff. “Until then, we need to maximise each opportunity and make the most of the package we have.
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"There are various challenges ahead of us but that's something we relish and is when a team really shows its true spirit. Lewis and George are making an important contribution to the overall effort, providing feedback, spending time in the simulator and working together to help push us forward.”
The third race of the 2022 schedule will take place at Albert Park in Melbourne, where the first race of 2020 was scheduled to take place until Covid forced a late cancellation. “Now we head back to Melbourne for the first time since 2020 and will be racing in Australia for the first time in three years - that's too long for a city and country that are so passionate about F1,” said Wolff. "We're looking forward to seeing the fans and the new track layout which promises more overtaking opportunities and faster lap times.”
Unfortunately, it seems, not so much for the Mercedes cars.
