George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have endured another rough start to the season. Like last year, Mercedes has lacked in many areas and have produced a non-competitive car.
The W14’s lackluster performances clearly show Red Bull has again emerged victorious in the development race. The Milton Keynes look too strong, having claimed pole positions and a 1-2 finish in both races so far.
Russell has himself stated that the team is too strong to be beaten this year. The Briton believes it’s even possible that Red Bull could walk away with 23 victories over the 23-race season.
It’s the hope that kills you 🥹🥹🥹
George Russell suggesting that Mercedes hopes to be fully competitive from race 6 (Emilia Romagna – 21 May)#F1Testing #W14 #F1 pic.twitter.com/2RyLgShTQR
— Hamilton Insights (@LH44_insights) February 25, 2023
The situation at Mercedes is grim. The team is rushing to fix the car and improve its performance. However, the Brackley-based team is still holding up to the crushing pressure.
Situation under control at Mercedes
George Russell claims Mercedes is trying to solve the W14’s issues collectively. In such scenarios, a blame game erupts pretty quickly. However, Russell reveals that is not the culture at the Silver Arrows.
He said, “Many people, in my opinion, acknowledged that these choices weren’t the best ones. However, no one is pointing fingers at them or blaming them for their choices. They were created with good intentions and using the knowledge we had.”
🗣️ “One of the worst days in racing.”
Toto Wolff admits Red Bull are ‘on a different planet’ but says Mercedes can ‘absolutely’ come back 🏎️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/1zOcuMCckh
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 5, 2023
In the meantime, archrivals Red Bull has managed to excel. The team has left the 8-time Constructors champion far behind, and now Mercedes seem to have no option but consider Red Bull’s concept for their car.
Russell added that the process of changing a car’s concept isn’t as easy as it sounds. He added, “It’s a team of two thousand people that are going to be heading. We have senior six technical people who work together with all the knowledge. All this knowledge comes from the work we’ve done on the simulator.”
Mercedes team Principal Toto Wolff has given an ultimatum to Mike Elliott, the Technical director, to find a solution as soon as possible. The team has also recalled former chief technical officer James Allison in a bid to resolve the issues
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were both wrong
Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were equally disappointed and frustrated by the W14’s performances so far. The 7-time world champion even said his team did not heed his advice during development.
However, Russell claims both drivers were wrong based on their initial understanding of the car’s development. He said, “We were aware of the concept. Lewis and I believed that it was in the right direction.”
“I know what a car need needs. I know what a car doesn’t need”
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes did not listen to his concerns over their 2023 car 👇 pic.twitter.com/7RluF3OtDN
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) March 9, 2023
He added, “Clearly, as a team, we failed to notice something that occurred over the winter, and we are now making every effort to make it right. It’s more about the wrong direction we’ve gone in.”
The Briton believes the car is still far from Red Bull but is at par with Ferrari and Aston Martin’s pace. He suggests the team will be able to bounce back by round 6 for the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola. However, the driver ruled out any possibility that the team could develop a second car until then.
