Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admits that the entire team and all of F1 looks forward to visiting Australia every single year.
Formula 1 returns to Australia next weekend after a two-year gap. The annual spectacle in Melbourne got cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid 19 pandemic, but it’s finally back now.
The government of Victoria announced the easing of Covid restrictions in the city. Subsequently, F1 made the announcement that they would indeed be racing around Albert Park this year.
In the most recent installment of the Australian GP, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton took pole position. In the race however, his then teammate Valtteri Bottas finished P1.
This year, Mercedes aren’t the dominant force they’ve been for the last eight years. They’re struggling for pace behind the Ferraris and Red Bulls, and will be looking to make as big a stride as possible in the coming weekend.
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Australia has always been part of the travelling circus, says Mercedes boss Toto Wolff
In a recent interview with Speedcafe.com, Wolff admitted that everyone in F1 always looks forward to racing in Australia. Albert Park had been hosting the first race of the season for several years before it’s last-moment cancellation in 2020.
The Austrian went on to praise the sport’s fanbase in Australia, and how they’ve always been part of the ‘traveling circus.’
“Really, it’s extremely important,” he said while highlighting the Australian GP’s importance. “Formula 1 has a great fan base there and has always been part of the circus.”
Even though he’s looking forward to being in Melbourne, Wolff is wary of his team’s poor outings in the first two rounds. As a result, he says that his excitement only comes from a neutral perspective.
“To be coming back there is something that everybody is always looking forward to,” he added. “Less so me at the moment, but you know if I take my Mercedes hat off. “It’s a great place and we love to be in Australia.”
Mercedes are currently third in the standings behind Ferrari and Red Bull.
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