George Russell, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate, also failed to finish the Australian Grand Prix, confirming Hamilton’s worst-ever start to a Formula 1 season.
It’s a “fair question,” according to Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff, to wonder if he ought to remain in charge. This comes after the Australian Grand Prix confirmed Lewis Hamilton’s worst-ever start to a season.
After surgery, Carlos Sainz had an incredible race in just over two weeks. Alongside his teammate Charles Leclerc, he won the race for Ferrari. But for Mercedes, things didn’t go as planned. George Russell, Lewis Hamilton’s teammate, crashed on the last lap after Hamilton’s car broke down on lap 17.
After three races, Hamilton, who started in eleventh place, has only accrued eight points. He didn’t start out so poorly since 2009. Hamilton placed seventh and ninth in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia prior to this race. Hamilton has won seven world championships with Mercedes’s assistance, but he hasn’t won a race since late 2021, a span of 58 races.
Hamilton finished second in Melbourne the year before, but this time around, the fastest Mercedes driver, Russell, crashed while running in seventh place. Following a disastrous race for the Brackley-based team, questions were raised about Wolff’s future at Mercedes, the team he has led since 2013.
“As a corner of this business, I need to make sure my contribution is positive and creative so I would be the first one to say if somebody has a better idea, tell me because I am invested to turn this team around as quickly as possible,” the Austrian stated. Despite this, he is still determined to solve the team’s problems and is open to suggestions. He acknowledges that, unlike previously, they are perplexed by the car’s behavior: “We haven’t taken a stupid pill since 2021. Some of the car’s behaviors are beyond our comprehension, but in the past, they were.”
Although Wolff is self-aware, he has no intention of quitting his job: “I ask myself this question honestly because I examine my actions in the mirror every day. However, I do not believe that I should leave at this time.” He’s even open to hearing suggestions from outsiders: “But I would be happy to hear any suggestions you may have about who could make this better.
“The main distinction is that I work here, and I can’t go to Chelsea, Liverpool, or Ferrari if the manager asks me to.” He feels that, unlike other co-owners, he does not have the freedom to leave: “It is also regrettable that, as a co-owner of Mercedes, I do not have that choice. I am not an employee or contractor who has declared they have had enough. I can’t seem to get off my spinning hamster wheel.
“We must constantly examine ourselves. I must examine myself. Furthermore, we are all human. Humans make decisions; data does not. If I claimed to feel upbeat and optimistic about the circumstances, I would be lying. Though it feels extremely, extremely, extremely brutal right now, you must push past the negative thoughts and declare, “We will turn it around.”
Mercedes thought they had a vehicle that would help them reclaim the lead going into the new season. They now find themselves, nevertheless, lagging behind Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull. Wolff freely acknowledged, saying, “We went into the season thinking this car was better than the one from the previous year.
“It takes time sometimes, but you know which screws to turn based on everything I have done in the past with finance and investments. I don’t think there is anything missing here. There is just an unseen issue with the car that functions similarly to an on/off switch. On the one hand, I want to punch myself in the nose because of the advancements that Ferrari and McLaren have made. It is extremely painful, so we must really go deep.”
Hamilton maintained his optimistic attitude despite a lackluster weekend in Melbourne, possibly encouraged by Ferrari’s impressive showing at Albert Park. “I feel pretty good, surprisingly,” Hamilton said. Wolff acknowledged that his soon-to-be-leaving driver “is looking over the fence” at Ferrari’s outstanding results.
“I’m attempting to maintain perspective because the situation could be far worse. I continue to enjoy being a part of the team. Naturally, I would prefer to be in the winning race, but we will overcome this. We’ll arrive at that point eventually. It’s simple to become engrossed in the present and concentrate on just one thing. But the focal point is unquestionably the wider picture. Additionally, acknowledging that you are not in control of everything. It’s not very good. I’m not content. But tomorrow is going to be fantastic for me.”
Verstappen leads Leclerc by four points in the championship, even though his race was cut short on lap four due to a brake issue. On April 7, the race will return to Japan.
Leave a Reply